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Resolve
to look beyond the headlines
January 2, 03
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
It's
a new year. Great time for fresh starts.
A resolution I'd like to encourage is for
folks to think a bit more about what they
eat and drink. Where does our food come
from? What's in it? Is it good for my
family and me?
Simple questions. But the answers are
often confusing, contradictory, and
sometimes misleading.
Most of us now have at our fingertips
access to the latest health and science
news. What you do with that information
– lifestyle choices you make about
the foods and drinks you choose and which
you limit or avoid, your level of
physical activity, and whether or not you
smoke – help determine how long you
live and how well.
Making sense of the information that's
available is a challenge. One reason: the
science is becoming increasingly complex.
On top of that, the interests of
industry, government, and others with a
stake in the issue often influence what
we see and hear in the media.
Even the manner in which science news is
reported makes a difference – what's
said, what's not, and the context in
which it's reported.
A good example is the recent news about a
study of the high-protein,
low-carbohydrate Atkins diet.
The Duke University study, funded by the
Robert C. Atkins Foundation, suggested
that a regimen like the Atkins diet could
lead to significant weight loss. The
media treated this as big news, a
vindication of the value of high-protein,
low carb diets for weight loss and a
challenge to conventional wisdom that
says high-carb diets are best.
But even the study's principal researcher
pointed out that more studies were needed
to assess the long-term safety of the
diet. Do you recall hearing that?
Many people didn't. Sales of Atkins'
books soared as people hoping to drop
some pounds rushed out to join the craze.
The message they heard was, “Bring
on the steak and eggs. And put some
butter on them while you're at it.”
When a study reports news too good to be
true, take a closer look.
When evaluating health news, start by
asking two questions. How many people
took part in the study? How long were
they studied?
The Atkins study included 120 people,
only half of whom followed the
Atkins-like regimen. They were followed
for six months.
By comparison, another study presented at
the same conference where the Atkins
results were described followed 74,000
women over a period of 12 years. It
didn't get much notice from the press,
and it didn't spark a rush for the
bookstores.
Why not? Because that study concluded
that if you want to lose weight, keep it
off and stay healthy, you should eat more
carbohydrate-rich fruits and vegetables.
When you evaluate food and nutrition
news, also keep these tips in mind:
• Read beyond the headline.
Headlines tend toward the dramatic to
catch your interest. Once you read the
details of the story, your understanding
of the issue may be change. TV and radio
often skim the surface. Time is so
limited that critical detail is often
left out. You have a better chance of a
fuller explanation in newspaper and
magazine articles.
• Follow the money. Research funded
by a party with a vested interest is more
likely to publish favorable results and
less likely to publish findings that
aren't favorable.
• Put news in perspective. Before
accepting the findings of a single new
study as fact, find out if other studies
have found similar results. Until they
have, it's too early to draw conclusions.
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