Importance of care in evaluating research and analysis

Most published research comes from people with apparently very good
qualifications. Yet they often come to very different conclusions.

Why is this so?

There are fundamental problems in research which are hard to overcome

One problem consciously or unconsciously is the urge for wish fulfilment.

''Cocoa is very good for you''. There is an Indian tribe I read about who
drink lots of cocoa and are amazingly healthy. Of course there may be lots
of other reasons apart from cocoa but the brief mention doesn't discuss
them.

We prefer simple feelgood stories.

I remember one study which ''proved ''something or other on the basis of
14 people.

14 people?

Not that long ago eminent people recommended no more than 1000 of vitamin
D. Now I am taking 5000 of D3

Recently there was a great furore about a study which showed vitamin E had
detrimental health effects. It was meticulously dissected by the pro
vitamin E people[I take vitamin E] and their comments had validity.

There is a basic rule .If some particular supplement or food is generally
considered good for you there won't be much critical analysis.

But if some popular supplement research says it is not good for you there
will be lots of critical analyses.

I appreciate it is very difficult to do research in this area. People may
not take what they say they take, maybe it is not the right form of
supplement, we haven't got the time or money for a big scale long-term
double-blind analysis and there are many other problem areas.

But that's real life and we need to look at the details of the research
even if we like what it says or maybe especially if we like what it says.

Is coconut oil very good or not? I don't know so my solution is to take
some but not in large quantities.

I'm averaging my risks

Good luck


Alex

Alex - this post belongs in the general health forum, but I'll respond
briefly here and Hans can move the thread. When it comes to validating
research findings, it's always important to learn who funded the study.
As pointed out in other posts, there is a large amount of bias in result
reporting as well as the 'ghost-writing factor' to consider. Of major
consideration when evaluating studies on nutrients is to learn the form of
the nutrient as very often, an inappropriate form will be chosen and then
that nutrient gets a bad rap, ie, the natural form versus synthetic
form...in the case of vitamin E. There are many examples.

The professionals practicing Functional Medicine typically will give
examples of their observations for results using various foods or
nutrients in their patient population over time. Because of the human
variable - biochemical individuality - no two people will respond
identically to the same nutritional focus. However, based on a very large
collection of such observations (over time), they come up with various
efficacy conclusions that are consistent. And of course, they do testing
to learn which nutrients are deficient so they can target the application
and predict results.

As far as the vitamin E issue... please read my notes in the general
health forum titled: Nutritional Factors in the Prevention & Treatment of
Cardiovascular Disease - notes from a teleconference by Alan R. Gaby MD
who is well-known for analyzing studies on nutrients and writing about the
findings.

On the cocoa/health issue: It's the polyphenols in cocoa that get health
claim attention. If you google cocoa and polyphenols you'll be able to
learn all you care to know about the health benefits of polyphenols.


Jackie

Hello Jackie,

I have no problems about the health benefits of vitamin E ,cocoa, or coconut oil etc and I have read about them in some detail.

Without focusing on individual examples the problem is a general one . I completely agree it would be good to know who is behind particular evaluations [and methodology in some detail together with the form of the substance tested] but the reality is that in most of the reports we simply see a conclusion with very often greatly overblown claims.

Some of the statements by medical Dr's such as Wright, Douglass, Spreen[before we come to Mercola] make complete sense but there is a lot of hyperbole and gross exaggeration which makes for incredible and unrealistic claims.

How does a normal person make sense of it all?

Alex

Alex - I agree it's difficult to sort out fact from fiction when it comes to supplements, health concerns... or even drugs for that matter. I've found over the years of research beyond was was taught in college on nutrition, that there are some experts in the field of 'natural health' that we can rely upon and some - not so much. Several of those physicians branching out into what was called holistic health, integrative medicine, alternative medicine, orthomolecular medicine became legend for their successful treatment of patients through nutritional interventions and avoiding pharmaceutical drugs. Today, many are still writing and offering their wisdom; sadly, some have died; and others now have advanced into formal training in the field of Functional Medicine.

In 1972, I went back to college to become a dental hygienist licensed to practice in the State of Ohio. The health science courses required lots of reading, research and for the dental, a focus on nutritional counselling. What I learned then was a far cry from what I learned later when I became interested in natural health options.

In the early 90's, I began gathering reliable information to publish in a digest form, health tips for other practicing dental hygienists. It was exciting and labor-intensive. Another hygienist and I researched, attended health seminars and subscribed to most of the natural health newsletters that were available then. This was before online services were available so it was all printed material. We soon learned to discern who was just 'hawking' their goods versus those just promoting sound nutritional health practices. There is still large amount of mis-information out there and it expands exponentially when you start reading 'health' blogs.

My afib journey along with other health issues has kept me doing a huge amount of research and has now just become a way of life.. the reading and sharing of information. In time, one learns to sort out the hype and glean the facts. It's my passion because it empowers me to keep myself healthy as I age, but I can also assist friends wishing to research their own health issues. It's most gratifying to see them thrive once they are on the right path.

Since I've done this type of research for so long, I try to share as much as I can when relevant or at least guide readers to reliable resources.

Jackie