4 ms·

Slightly funny when an institution such as Harvard still doesn't understand how extrapolating conclusions from a single variable when dealing with a complex sys

• md_ 3y ago
  Huh? Isn't the entire point of matched controls in an epidemiological study to isolate the effect of that single variable?
  • waihtis 3y ago
    why make a sensationalist article about quitting drinking then?
    • md_ 3y ago
      I didn't find it sensationalist. Obviously, like, being born in a country with a poor healthcare system might have a bigger impact on your morbidity/mortality in some cases than dietary changes, but it's hard for people to change the country they are born in.
• stareatgoats 3y ago
  Agree, trying to isolate a single variable additionally creates an illusion: that if one removes all the negative variables and adds all the positive variables you get a super-positive result: if all you eat is fibers and anti-oxidants you will surely die a premature death to put it crassly. It ignores that things work in concert: a healthy life is about balance, i.e. in this case: a Mediterranean diet seems to nullify the impact of alcohol (which I assume is the reason for the low heart disease rates in France and Spain, despite having double the average alcohol intake compared to say the Nordics).