Top 10 Signs of Junk Science

[BaileyBariatrics 617]

News about nutrition and health seems to be about grabbing your attention with a splashy headline or sound bite. That headline or sound bite may be based on a single and simple statement from a recently published study. What details are missing from the headline or sound bite?

The missing details often missing include information about how many people were in the study, who was studied (gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic level, education level, genetics), how did researchers pick the people to study, how long did the study last, what type of study was conducted, was the study done on humans or lab rats, what question was being studied, were the subjects paid or did they volunteer, who paid for the study and what statistical method was used to evaluate the data. National nutrition and health recommendations are made when a lot of studies agree with each other.

How can you figure out if the science is valid or junk science? The food and Nutrition Science Alliance (FANSA) developed the ”Ten Red Flags of Junk Science” to help you recognized misinformation about nutrition and health. FANSA is a partnership between the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Society of Clinical Nutrition, Institute of Food Technologists and the American Society for Nutritional Sciences. The red flags are:

1. Recommendations that promise a quick fix.

2. Dire warning of danger from a single product or regimen.

3. Claims that sound too good to be true.

4. Simple conclusions drawn from a complex scientific study.

5. Recommendations based on a single study.

6. Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific

a. organizations.

7. Lists of “good” and “bad” foods.

8. Recommendations made to help sell a product.

9. Recommendations on studies published without peer review.

10. Recommendations from studies that ignore difficulties among individuals or groups.

Next time you hear some nutrition or health information, ask “where’s the proof?” You might get a surprised reaction from somebody trying to sell you something.

[Stevehud 1,790]

Im always skepticalof anything that ends with, ..."...and my new book." lol thats why people like dr phil and dr oz etc. are so despised by me. people will do anything for money.

[Inner Surfer Girl 12,015]

I do feel sorry for health and science writers because they are often asked to distill some very complicated research down into a form that average people can understand. Usually, what most people want to know is what will instantly and easily solve their perceived problem. We don't like uncertainty and ambiguity. We want THE ANSWER.

[toasty 371]

... Usually, what most people want to know is what will instantly and easily solve their perceived problem. We don't like uncertainty and ambiguity. We want THE ANSWER.

...and there's always someone ready to sell them that answer!

Whether or not it is snake oil.

[4MRB4PHOTO 3,900]

I always like the statistics that get thrown around with nothing stating about the number of samples, if they were random, unbiased, taking into effect other factors, etc..

80% of the people agree with this, 15% disagree and 10% are not sure.

Edited September 8, 2015 by 4MRB4PHOTO

[Bandista 7,466]

#1 Tip-Off for me is when my mother is promoting something -- she is a canary in a coalmine in that regard. Get-Rich-Quick meets Fountain-of-Youth is too much for some people to resist.......

[Stevehud 1,790]

i made 12 million dollars working at home, on google and through this website, last month alone...

Ha Ha

I really despise those people. I got called last night by one of those windows service centers for your computer, i wont mention the country of origin because people think I am racist if i mention a foreign country, but anyway. I unfortunately was not in a good mood, was trying to rush out to he gym it was 96 degrees, i had just come home from work, i was washing a frying pan and dropped it and had to wipe up soapy Water on the floor etc, and got that call, and I just exploded at the guy, lol truthfully though i did feel better after. I do love to mess with telemarketers, like the last idiot that called about solar panels, i told him " im sorry sir, but on my planet, we dont have a sun, just ambient cosmic radiation." i was met with stunned silence.

I love window salesmen, to them i usually say, I have no windows in my home, i bricked them all up to keep out the zombies. That usually gets a chuckle.