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This is why nutrition research is extremely confusing and contradictory often. I worked in a nutrition department and the amount of post menopausal obese women

This is why nutrition research is extremely confusing and contradictory often. I worked in a nutrition department and the amount of post menopausal obese women in our knee studies that said they just ate a half cup of green beans that day is astounding. Now try to use data that flawed to make assumptions over a lifespan about human health. About the only studies I truly believe are the ones where people are at a facility and all food is provided to them and tracked.

ianmcgowan 2y ago
I lived in one of those food study centers after college. Most people there were pretty diligent about sticking to the program, but there was a big scandal when one guy was kicked out after discovering extensive cheating and several papers had to be retracted. We were allowed out - I had a full time job, but couldn't eat or drink any food not provided by the center (we took a radio-isotope tracer with food, and had to collect our poop). It was quite interesting :_)
- umbra07 2y ago
  what was the consequence if you did eat outside food?
  - nradov 2y ago
    If the researchers found out then you would be eliminated from the study and no longer paid (and given free food) as a research subject.
cperciva 2y ago
My favourite example of this is that the number of condoms used in the USA, according to surveys, is dramatically higher than the number of condoms sold in the USA.
- cratermoon 2y ago
  Ew.
- mildzebrataste 2y ago
  Perhaps they are using them more than once.
  - lukan 2y ago
    Or they are confusing imagination of how much they would like to have sex with reality. Or they feel the social pressure, to boast themself. Sexual activity is kind of a primitive success metric. Reporting low numbers means reporting low success ..
- mr_toad 2y ago
  In surveys the amount of liquor consumed is often about half the amount of liquor that is sold.
  - prerok 2y ago
    Yeah, that's because it's assumed that the other half consumed is non-registered moonshine. I don't get how that would apply to condoms, though.
    - systemtest 2y ago
      Grey import through Chinese websites like AliExpress? I doubt those individual sales are registered on the total sales numbers of the USA.
hombre_fatal 2y ago
Well, some studies validate their FFQs. Also, FFQs don't have to be perfect. They just have to create analytical clusters or continuity. As FFQs become less accurate, confidence intervals get wider but it just depends if the study is powered to handle it. I find that most of the dismissal around FFQs is pretty vague and seems to come from a group of people who find the consensus in nutrition research inconvenient for them.

ianmcgowan 2y ago

I lived in one of those food study centers after college. Most people there were pretty diligent about sticking to the program, but there was a big scandal when one guy was kicked out after discovering extensive cheating and several papers had to be retracted. We were allowed out - I had a full time job, but couldn't eat or drink any food not provided by the center (we took a radio-isotope tracer with food, and had to collect our poop). It was quite interesting :_)

umbra07 2y ago
what was the consequence if you did eat outside food?
- nradov 2y ago
  If the researchers found out then you would be eliminated from the study and no longer paid (and given free food) as a research subject.

cperciva 2y ago

My favourite example of this is that the number of condoms used in the USA, according to surveys, is dramatically higher than the number of condoms sold in the USA.

cratermoon 2y ago
Ew.
mildzebrataste 2y ago
Perhaps they are using them more than once.
- lukan 2y ago
  Or they are confusing imagination of how much they would like to have sex with reality. Or they feel the social pressure, to boast themself. Sexual activity is kind of a primitive success metric. Reporting low numbers means reporting low success ..
mr_toad 2y ago
In surveys the amount of liquor consumed is often about half the amount of liquor that is sold.
- prerok 2y ago
  Yeah, that's because it's assumed that the other half consumed is non-registered moonshine. I don't get how that would apply to condoms, though.
  - systemtest 2y ago
    Grey import through Chinese websites like AliExpress? I doubt those individual sales are registered on the total sales numbers of the USA.

hombre_fatal 2y ago

Well, some studies validate their FFQs. Also, FFQs don't have to be perfect. They just have to create analytical clusters or continuity. As FFQs become less accurate, confidence intervals get wider but it just depends if the study is powered to handle it. I find that most of the dismissal around FFQs is pretty vague and seems to come from a group of people who find the consensus in nutrition research inconvenient for them.