Todays Breaking Health News!!

A place to get your questions answered from McDougall staff dietitian, Jeff Novick, MS, RDN.

Moderators: JeffN, carolve, Heather McDougall

Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Fri Jun 29, 2012 7:19 pm

Todays Breaking Health News!!
by Jeff Novick, MS, RD
Monday, June 18, 2012

Did you hear about the study in the news today?

Health information today is much more commonplace than ever before. Every day, if not every hour, we hear of another new study or report on health. These reports can be very confusing because if you listen to them, one day (or hour) something is good and the next day (or hour), it is bad.

In trying to understand all of this conflicting and confusing information, it is important to realize that real science doesn't work this way, and/or change its mind every day (or hour), even though the media wants us to think it does. According to them, one day coffee is good and one day coffee is bad. One day chocolate is good and one day chocolate is bad. One week eggs are bad, the next week eggs are good.

What's a person to do? :)

The truth is, this kind of information just keeps the public dazed and confused. They throw their hands up in frustration thinking that no one really knows anything so people just continue doing what they were doing all along or use this confusion as an excuse to do whatever they want to do and to continue to indulge in any bad habits they may have.

After all, no one really knows. Right?

Wrong.

Outside of the media hoopla on these topics through its various outlets, a real scientist and student of health should not be swayed by the results of any one study - ever.

The reason is, true science is really a slow-moving unfolding of information that builds on what is known and adds to it little by little over time. It also looks for and acknowledges its own flaws and weaknesses. It makes conclusions based on established and proven methods that deal with methodology, power, strength and levels of significance. It doesn't suddenly jump from one place to another every time a new study comes out. Eggs didn't go from bad to good this week and neither did coffee.

But the mass media, media outlets and even some health care professionals, thrive on this endless flow of (mis)information that we hear in the news and on presenting it in such a way that creates endless doubt and confusion, which is very good for readership, advertisers, and product sales. And, because of human nature and the way our minds work, people are drawn to these types of "reports" and the faulty conclusions that the media presents on a daily, if not hourly, basis these days.

Unfortunately, it is not good for true science or for your health as.these reports, and the confusion created by them, rarely if ever, address the primary problems causing the majority of our health problems. They act as little more than distractions because as long as people continue to argue over or focus their energies on these ancillary issues, they miss putting their real time, energy and efforts into doing what we know really works and what really matters.

Remember, studies have repeatedly shown that only about 3% of Americans follow the basic healthy lifestyle habits (with regard to smoking, alcohol, body weight, activity and diet) and only about .5% follow the basic nutrition guidelines of a healthy diet. Yet up to 90% claim they consume a healthy diet and over 1/3 of those say they consume a very healthy diet.

In regard to health, decisions about what we eat and how we live should be based on a logical and reasoned analysis of the overwhelming majority of evidence as evaluated and supported by the majority of the research studies. It should not be based on any one study (or two), especially when the study has just come out and especially if all we have read (or know) is a mass media account of the new study. Sure, you can always find a study that appears to say the opposite or support an opposing view, but we have to look closely at it, how it was done, the methodology, who funded it, the strength and limitations of the study, and the totality of the evidence to date. And, of course, our own biases, which we all have.

And, while some may think my perspective and the conclusions I draw (with which you are welcome to disagree) are alternative, holistic, complimentary, hygienic, natural, vegetarian, vegan, etc etc, to me, they are just simple, conservative, basic common sense guidelines and principles of good health that are supported by sound science and not just today's passing headline.

In Health,
Jeff
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby dlee » Sat Jun 30, 2012 6:17 am

talkingmountain wrote:Hear hear!


Right on Jeff this needs to be said. No wonder people are confused!
I guess everyone has seen the "new " breaking news about the New Diet pill the FDA has just approved! Wow Big Pharma is going to save us all ! It might be a tad risky but hey they think it's worth it...at least they think it might earn them quite a few $$'s!
It's just been approved for obese persons now but hopefully we;ll all be able to take it soon!!
" Lorcaserin carries the risk of heart valve damage, a permanent and life-threatening side effect." Dlee
User avatar
dlee
 
Posts: 499
Joined: Fri Dec 07, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Mexico

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby Ginger » Sat Jun 30, 2012 7:06 am

I cannot express my gratitude strongly enough that I am in the .5%
I has always been a curiosity why a few people are able to move past the misinformation, keep aiming for the well researched, and then actually follow the recommendations. I can remember well the days of following the "cure de jour" because I didn't know any better. But once I recognized the difference between what is essentially advertising and entertainment and real information I never looked back. A huge thank you to all who work so hard to provide the real information.
Ginger
 
Posts: 496
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 5:38 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby Acura » Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:51 am

Wonderfully written article. It is important to know there is no magic wand or quick fixes to super health. You have a lot of power to influence the outcome but you can not magically jump the gun. I think this message of staying grounded in reality is very important. So many of us are fooled by this flip flopping on a regular basis and interpreting nutritional science by journalists. I say for those of us who are not facing any health issues in particular and want to pro-actively make the change - It is no brainier, just follow the principles and guidelines espoused here without worrying too much about the nuances. That's all you would ever need to get through this life.
CC
Acura
 
Posts: 868
Joined: Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:07 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby Spiral » Thu Oct 18, 2012 5:30 pm

JeffN wrote:Remember, studies have repeatedly shown that only about 3% of Americans follow the basic healthy lifestyle habits (with regard to smoking, alcohol, body weight, activity and diet) and only about .5% follow the basic nutrition guidelines of a healthy diet. Yet up to 90% claim they consume a healthy diet and over 1/3 of those say they consume a very healthy diet.

Jeff,

It's hard to believe that I am in such a small group of people following healthy lifestyle habits.

The .5% number seems very tiny. On what basis was it determined that the percentage of Americans living healthfully was so low?

Was it a typo and perhaps the "true" number was 5% or maybe 50%? Was insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables the big disqualifier for most Americans? Or was it inactivity? Can you crunch the numbers for us?

Thanks a million for helping those of us on this forum become part of the "top .5 percent."
User avatar
Spiral
 
Posts: 3005
Joined: Sat Dec 18, 2010 8:18 pm
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Thu Oct 18, 2012 7:24 pm

Spiral wrote: It's hard to believe that I am in such a small group of people following healthy lifestyle habits.


It is smaller than you think.

Spiral wrote:The .5% number seems very tiny. On what basis was it determined that the percentage of Americans living healthfully was so low?


Almost 18K adults were surveyed and were asked about 7 lifestyle criteria, one of which was diet. For diet, they were rated on how well they met the 5 points of the AHA diet, which is not too difficult to meet. Considering that most people overestimate the "goodness" of their diet and that they were comparing it to the mediocre recommendations of the AHA, the reality is, it is MUCH worse than the .5%

In addition, only "2" (yes, 2) people out of the 18K met the criteria for all 7 lifestyle factors. And, they were not that difficult either.

When they looked at the diet of 6000 children, NONE met the 5 criteria of the AHA diet.

Spiral wrote:Was it a typo and perhaps the "true" number was 5% or maybe 50%? Was insufficient consumption of fruits and vegetables the big disqualifier for most Americans?


No, it was equally weighted as one of the 5 diet criteria.

Spiral wrote:Or was it inactivity?


Activity was scored separately as one of the 7 overall criteria.

Spiral wrote:Thanks a million for helping those of us on this forum become part of the "top .5 percent."


Thank you!

In Health
Jeff
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby vgpedlr » Fri Oct 19, 2012 3:40 pm

Can you link to these studies? I'd like to take a closer look, especially where the data about people's disconnect between "healthy diet" and what they actually do. Thanks.
User avatar
vgpedlr
 
Posts: 4502
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:17 pm
Location: NorCal

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Fri Oct 19, 2012 3:58 pm

Many of them are discussed in the thread, "Triage Your Health" along with the references.

Also..

The AHA set 7 criteria called Life's Simple Seven, that, they say, if you meet them, they say you have ideal cardiovascular health. In the study, using data from the NHANES 2005-2006 of 18K men and women, less than 1% (216 people) met 6 of the 7 and only 2 people (< .01%) met all seven and only 89 (< .5%) met the criteria for a healthy diet based on AHA standards

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/121 ... l.pdf+html

They applied the 7 criteria to kids and the results were worse

"Diet in particular was a problem, with not one of the 5,450 children randomly selected for the survey from the U.S. population meeting the standards for diet"

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 31378.html

AHA Report

http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content ... d2f7b1e734

Reference

http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/125/1/45.abstract

http://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-t ... seven.html

The results of a nationwide study was reported at the American Heart Association. conference in Chicago this week that validated the impact of Life's Simple Seven. The researchers evaluated a database of 17,820 adults between 45 and 84 who were already enrolled in a nationwide study on the prevalence of stroke. They found the death rates for those who met at least five criteria were 55% lower over the five-year study period than for those who met none. Their analysis also showed how much each factor mattered; for every additional criteria met, a person reduced by 15% the chance of dying in the next four years.

And, the shocking part.... only 213 met the criteria for 6 of the 7 (~1%) and only two (2), yes two, met the criteria for all seven.

On the 90% who say they eat healthy (89.7 percent of Americans described their diet as “somewhat” healthy (52.6 percent), “very” healthy (31.5 percent), or “extremely” healthy (5.6 percent) healthy....

https://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2011/01/a ... lthy-diet/

In Health
Jeff
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Wed Sep 09, 2015 5:54 am

Ten Questions to Ask about Scientific Studies
By Jeremy Adam Smith
September 8, 2015

http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article ... ic_studies
Never take a study at face value, including one you read about in Greater Good!

"In fact, a new study is not worth the PDF it’s printed on until its findings are replicated and validated by other studies—studies that haven’t yet happened. An experiment is merely interesting until time and testing turns its finding into a fact.

Scientists know this, and they are trained to react very skeptically to every new paper. They also expect to be greeted with skepticism when they present findings. Trust is good, but science isn’t about trust. It’s about verification."

In Health
Jeff
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:05 pm

This is about tragedies and crisis but I think it applies equally to health information. Just exchange Health Info for Crisis and we have the same situation

Its not good for your physical health or your mental health.

In Health
Jeff

Mass Media Article

Constantly Checking Social Media During A Tragedy Hurts Your Mental Health
Here’s how to stay informed without getting in too deep.
HuffPost
HEALTHY LIVING
10/19/2017
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/so ... thy-living



PNAS Study

Distress and rumor exposure on social media during a campus lockdown.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017 Oct 17. pii: 201708518.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.1708518114. [Epub ahead of print]
www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1708518114

Significance
During active shooter events when danger is imminent and of- ficial information is disseminated inconsistently, ambiguity is high. In these situations, individuals may seek information from unofficial channels (e.g., social media), thereby exposing them- selves to unverified information and rumors. In a study of stu- dents caught in a university-wide lockdown, we found that those who relied on social media for updates reported increased ex- posure to conflicting information. Moreover, those who trusted what they read reported greater distress. Then, using a big-data analysis of Twitter data spanning ∼5 hours surrounding the event, we demonstrated that rumor transmission tracks with community-level negative emotion during gaps in official com- munication. Officials should monitor social media channels to mitigate the negative impact of rumors during collective traumas.

Conclusion
Exposure to rumors and conflicting information that arise out of the ambiguity of a crisis may have negative consequences for the people who receive and believe them. Moreover, the extent to which people trust the channels through which unofficial and conflicting information flow may exacerbate distress. Rumor generation during ambiguous crisis events is certain to continue. Therefore, social scientists should study the psychological impact of rumor exposure using methodological triangulation to under- stand the dynamic contextual features of and community responses to these events. Doing so will help to better elucidate the function and impact of crisis-related communications, or the lack thereof, on distress responses. Science on crisis communications and the media can be an ally in this challenging set of tasks.
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am

Re: Todays Breaking Health News!!

Postby JeffN » Thu Apr 12, 2018 3:48 pm

Oh The Irony! We are saturated all day with stories of the latest/greatest breaking news, yet the actual amount of real breakthroughs is decreasing.


Is Science Hitting a Wall? Economists show increased research efforts are yielding decreasing returns
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/cr ... ng-a-wall/
User avatar
JeffN
 
Posts: 9412
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 5:56 am


Return to Jeff Novick, RD

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 13 guests


cron

Welcome!

Sign up to receive our regular articles, recipes, and news about upcoming events.