Nutrition Research

"When reading nutrition-related claims, articles, websites, or advertisements, always remember that one study does not substantiate a fact. One study neither proves nor disproves anything. Readers who may be looking for complex answers to nutritional dilemmas can quickly misconstrue such statements and be led down a path of misinformation. The scientific study under discussion should be published in a peer-reviewed journal, such as the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Question studies that come from less trustworthy sources, such as non-peer-reviewed journals or websites, or that are not published. The report should disclose the methods used by the researchers. Consider whether the study lasted for three or thirty weeks, whether there were ten or one hundred participants, what the participants actually did, and whether the researchers observed the results themselves or relied on self-reports from program participants. Consider who the subjects were. Were they humans or animals? If human, are any traits or characteristics noted? You may realize you have more in common with certain program participants and can use that as a basis to gauge if the study applies to you. Credible reports often disseminate new findings in the context of previous research. A single study on its own gives you very limited information, but if a body of literature supports a finding, it gives you more confidence in it. Peer-reviewed articles deliver a broad perspective and are inclusive of findings of many studies on the exact same subject. When reading such news, ask yourself, “Is this making sense?” Even if coffee does adversely affect the nervous system, do you drink enough of it to see any negative effects? If a headline professes a new remedy for a nutrition-related topic, it may well be a research-supported piece of news, but more often than not it is a sensational story designed to catch the attention of an unsuspecting consumer. Track down the original journal article to see if it really supports the conclusions being drawn in the news report. When reading information on websites, consider who sponsors the website, whether names and credentials are disclosed, whether an editorial board is identified, whether the site contains links to other credible informational websites, whether it references peer-reviewed journal articles, how often the website is updated, whether you are being sold something, and whether the website charges a fee. Trustworthy sources include the US Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Information Center and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The USDA site has more than twenty-five hundred links to dietary, nutrition, diet and disease, weight and obesity, food-safety and food-labeling, packaging, dietary supplement, and consumer-question sites. Using this interactive site, people can find tips and resources on how to eat a healthy diet, My Foodapedia, and a food planner, among other sections. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes scientific evidenced-based"