5 ms·
Every 5 or 10 years there is a big study that gives rise to a health fad: antioxidants, low fat, high fat, low carb, no carb, complex carbs, red wine, ... Thes
by api 11y ago
Every 5 or 10 years there is a big study that gives rise to a health fad: antioxidants, low fat, high fat, low carb, no carb, complex carbs, red wine, ...
These are then almost predictably found to either be bunk or gross oversimplification 5 or 10 years later.
You would think the scientific and medical establishment would realize after a while that there must be something deeply wrong with their whole approach to these studies and their interpretation, but no. The next one is always a breakthrough and around the circle we go. Or are there industries making big bucks on pimping this stuff?
- redmagnet 11y agoSame could be said about software tools and software methodologies. Yes industries are making money by pimping this stuff but at the same time, I think it still counts as progress in that it contributes to our knowledge of how things work and give you more options for dealing with a problem. In both software and health, mature professionals are going to be able to incorporate this new fad into their work in a reasonable and considered way. The general public - not so much.
- hga 11y agoNot in this case, this is a context issue, not to mention one that's been known for decades WRT to Vitamin C. In the context of normal health, anti-oxidants sure seem to be a good thing. In the context of cancer, well, you don't want healthy cancer cells! The rules change, quite a bit.
- Detrus 11y agoWell, scientists release studies, which are far from conclusive. Various industries use them to advertise to people who don't understand that studies mean nothing.
- scott_s 11y agoThis is not the fault of the scientific and medical establishment. They investigate phenomenon and publish what they can learn. The media does a poor job in explaining the subtleties of what they have learned, and food and supplement companies latch on to these misunderstandings to market "health" products.
- scorpioxy 11y agoRight and people are always looking for a quick fix and "just a pill to take". My understanding is that how nutrition affects the body is a poorly understood complex mechanism and isn't as simple as all fat is bad or all carbs are bad or red meat is poison. Keeping a diversified diet that is rich in real food and very little processed food is a good thing. Exercising is a good thing. Beyond that it seems like micro-optimizations with very little benefit.