SUSAN DOPART ::: Registered Dietitian & Exercise Physiologist :::

Nutrition Studies

It may be surprising to find out that learning how to tailor your diet to meet your individual needs can have amazing effects on your energy levels, sleep patterns, and general health and well-being. Since nutrition is a very young science there are always new and interesting studies coming out which can help people to individualize their particular health program.

Sometimes it can be difficult to sort out the plethora of health and nutrition news we see in our newspapers, magazines, and health journals, and on the web, television and radio. What are some questions to ask yourself to be able to discern if a study is credible or even applies to you? A recent article in "Food Insight," a publication put out by the International Food and Information Council Foundation put out a list of questions consumers should ask themselves when reading health studies:

What type of study is being reported?
How many people were studied and for how long?
Was the study published in a peer-reviewed journal?
Do the study author's credentials indicate nutrition expertise?
How does the study relate to the context of the larger body of evidence on this subject?
Is the study loaded with sensationalism such as "scientific breakthrough" or "medical miracle?"

It is important to realize that many studies reported are actually epidemiological studies. Epidemiological studies are not cause and effect studies, but rather observations of associations. For example, an epidemiological study may show that women that exercise tend to have a lower risk of developing cancer. This study shows an association. It does not prove that exercise decreases the chances of developing cancer.

How many people were in the study? Were there 20 or 2000? Does the sex and age of the people in the study apply to you? Was the study published in a reputable journal?

Lastly, take sensationalism with a grain of salt. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Look at how many people were actually in the study, if it actually applies to you, and contains enough significant information to change your current lifestyle. Sometimes even obtaining a copy of the study can give you more information than a reported news article ever could.