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Science and research are complicated. So are our bodies, and how they behave under various influences.
However, people try to fix their health problems by relying on over simplified, and usually downright false, narratives in mainstream media that masquerade as “science”.
Most of the mainstream “sound bytes” about good health practices to prevent lifestyle disease are simply wrong, and not at all scientific.
As the article says “research findings get spiced up, simplified, over-extrapolated, and even distorted.”, and “the best possible scientific understanding available is not something that’s going to be gleaned from sound bites in mainstream media.”
“We must eat less fat”. “Saturated fat is bad”. “Vegetable oils are good and animal fats are bad”. “Eat more whole grains”. “Sugar in moderation and lots of exercise”. “Don’t eat spicy food”. “Eat low salt food”. “Eat at regular times”. “Oats for breakfast”. “PUFA rich oils are good for you”. “Red meat is bad”. “Eggs increase cholesterol”.“We must reduce cholesterol”. This list could go on and on. There are literally hundreds of “scientific” myths on which large food businesses thrive.
But the science behind each of these statements is over simplified, and so these statements are almost always FALSE. The underlying science is much more nuanced and complex.
What will it take to teach our people safe food habits? Unfortunately, I can’t see any easy way of doing this.
Read the article here: https://medium.com/s/story/when-science-journalism-becomes-dangerous-5726220bcdd9