Is this research reliable?

[Michele90]

Hi everyone, is the research linked below reliable?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2352199/
For me it isn't..

Thank you very much,
Michele

[baardmk]

I only read the abstract, but nothing in there that would suggest anything out of the ordinary, and nothing particularly against the diet advocated here.

What were you referring to?

[Risto]

The article was published 1996 in a reputable journal, the authors worked at reputable institutions, the statistics seem to be properly done, and the results are more or less what you'd expect, i.e. fiber and fruit are good for you and smoking is very bad. It's not a study of fully plant-based diets and doesn't claim to be.

The wording "vegetarians and health conscious people" in the title is a simplification, as they list only 43 % of their cohort as being vegetarian, and 19 % being smokers. Well, I suppose you can be "conscious" and go on smoking. Another limitation of the study listed in the discussion part is that the questionnaire used didn't cover many important parts of diet, including the intake of dairy products and fish.

[Michele90]

A friend of mine has used this article to say that there is no difference between those who eat meat and dairy products and who is vegan. Just eat lots of fruits and vegetables and you will be healthy.
Honestly I haven't read the entire article too.

[BlueHeron]

The only conclusion they provided is related to the consumption of fresh fruit, and they specify that they saw an association. They don't make any claims about causes.

Your friend is misreading the study. That doesn't make it a bad study.

[Risto]

A friend of mine has used this article to say that there is no difference between those who eat meat and dairy products and who is vegan.

That's not a result of that study. They didn't study vegans and didn't even ask about dairy.

[Gershon]

The methodology seems sound to me. British studies seem to be written in a way that's easy to understand.

Michele, why doesn't the study seem valid to you?

[Michele90]

Because like a fool I didn't read the entire research but I trusted what my friend told me. Now that I read it I realized that the research is valid.

[colonyofcells]

I try to avoid wasting time reading studies. I prefer to talk about what our ancestors, great grandparents, grandparents ate. I try to copy the healthy lifestyles of my grandparents. My maternal grandfather and father both walked a lot and did not use cars.