Judith E. Brown Prof. Albia Dugger Miami-Dade College Ways of Knowing about Nutrition Unit 3

Is what I hear about nutrition true? Nutrition information offered to the public does not have to be true or even likely true Ranges in quality from sound and beneficial to outrageous and harmful Reliable information about nutrition and health is generated by scientific studies Science is knowledge gained by systematic study

Why is there so much misinformation? Misleading and fraudulent information exists primarily because of financial interests, and personal beliefs and convictions

Motivation #1: Profit Many in the nutrition business make money from people who seek quick, easy results People are willing to believe nonsense and buy fraudulent products for many reasons

Create Your Own Fraudulent Product

Controlling Nutrition Frauds Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Can remove ads from airwaves and internet Report fraudulent ads at:

Science for Sale Many researchers have a financial interest in their research results Hold a patent for the product Are paid industry consultants Have financial affiliations with the company producing the product

Researchers With Financial Interest

Who is Conducting the Research? Nutrition research is often conducted by people or companies that have a stake in the results

Checklist for Identifying Misinformation

The Business of Nutrition News News media may sensationalize or oversimplify stories to increases ratings Decisions about personal nutrition should be broadly supported by science

How Media Confuse the Public

Motivation #2: Personal Beliefs Alternative health practitioners may claim results from nutritional remedies when a condition goes away by itself Until they are evaluated, untested remedies should be considered neither safe nor effective

Supplements for Health Problems

Professionals with Embedded Beliefs Even doctors and university professors sometimes cling to theories that have been disproven Contributes to consumer confusion and increases health risk

How to Identify Nutrition Truths Scientific evidence is obtained from laboratory, animal, and human studies Studies are used to develop public policies about nutrition and health

Evidence-Based Nutrition Tool Developed by: American Academy of Family Physicians American Dietetic Association National Council on Aging See Illustration 3.7 on page 3-8

Sources of Reliable Information

Nutrition Information on the Web Most-reliable sites: Government health agencies (.gov) Educational institutions (.edu) Professional health and science organizations (.org)

Media Menu

Qualified Nutrition Professionals Who are qualified nutrition professionals? Dieticians or nutritionists who are registered, licensed, or certified according to national or state regulations

Who’s Who in Nutrition and Dietetics

The Methods of Science Scientific method A carefully planned method of scientific research

Developing the Plan Starts with clearly stating the question to be addressed Example: Do vitamin X supplements increase hair loss?

Hypothesis: A Testable Question Hypothesis A statement that can be proved or disproved by the research Example: Vitamin X supplements of 25,000 IU/day taken for three months increase hair loss in healthy adults

Research Design: Gathering the Right Information 1. What type of research design should be used? Epidemiological study Clinical trial

Key Terms Experimental group Randomly assigned group of subjects that receives the test treatment (vitamin X) Control group Comparison group that receives a placebo (an inactive, imitation treatment)

Key Terms Double-blind procedure Neither the scientist nor the patient knows if the patient is taking the drug or the placebo Placebo effect Changes in health or perceived health that result from expectation that a “treatment” will produce an effect on health

Double-Blind Study Which is the vitamin X supplement? Knowing which group is which may change expectations and influence results

Research Design: Choosing Research Subjects Exclude people with other conditions that cause the same problem People who already take vitamin X People who are already bald

Research Design: How Many Subjects are Needed? A mathematical formula determines the number of people needed to ensure any differences in results between groups are significant

What is the Right Number?

Research Design: What Information is Collected? Collect all information that either supports or refutes the hypothesis

Research Design: How is the Information Collected? “Garbage in – garbage out” Use a method that is known to produce accurate results

Research Design: How are the Findings Analyzed? Statistically significant results Statistical tests are used to identify significant differences between findings from the experimental and control groups Determine the probability that differences are real, not due to chance or coincidence

Design of the Vitamin X Study

Obtaining Approval for Human Subjects Institutional review boards study the proposed plans to make sure they follow safety rules for human research Subjects must consent in writing to participate

Implementing the Study Grant to fund research is obtained Subjects are recruited and monitored Results are checked and computer-analyzed Statistical tests are applied Findings are recorded

Evaluating the Results Cause-and-effect relationship A condition directly causes a particular event Results may be associated with the results without being the cause of the results

Overview of Vitamin X Study

Glossary of Research Terms

Science and Personal Decisions When making personal decisions about nutrition, only scientific studies based on facts and evidence produce information you can count on