Research Collected: Evidence for Skepticism of Research

I enjoy reading research and thinking about the implications of research. However, I often have to remind myself that there is reason to be skeptical about any individual study. Often I prefer to wait until a number of studies fit a particular narrative or hypothesis before gaining confidence in that research. When I share research here it’s usually from a “isn’t this interesting” perspective, not a “this is true” perspective. Ideally a lot more research would be replicated than is currently occurring. So far, examinations into reproducibility of research has shown low reproducibility, even on studies which have become actionable in health care fields. This collection is a set of papers examining some issues with the accuracy of scientific research.

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“Demonization and Deception in Cholesterol Research”

I am a fan of Dr. Diamond’s earlier talk but this new one is better. It is more concise and the viewer can see the presentation. This combines many important points on research into cholesterol into 1 informative hour. I recommend watching for anyone who wants a better understanding of the actual research into cholesterol and health.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yX1vBA9bLNk

Ripples of Coca-Cola’s Recent Disclosures

“Last week Coca-Cola disclosed its practice of paying researchers and health professionals millions of dollars. It spent $21.8 million to fund pro-industry research and $96.8 million on partnerships with health organizations, including $2.1 million directly paying health experts…

I wanted to dig deeper into this network of influencers to learn more about the strategy. Why were they chosen? What do they have in common? Where are they most influential?”

 – The New Faces of Coke

Which health organizations have been terminating their sponsorship in the wake of Coca-Cola’s disclosures?

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Inside Out

Inside Out is the first movie I’ve recommended to my clients. It is definitely worth seeing, perhaps more than once. There are a lot of laughs, which are always health promoting, as well as some touching and important observations about the emotional lives of humans.

FDA announces 3 year phase out of partially hydrogenated oils

Since trans-fats have had their GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status rescinded the FDA is taking the next step and require that partially hydrogenated oils (PHO) be removed from products within 3 years unless companies petition for their incorporation.

The FDA takes step to remove artificial trans fats in processed foods

This is good news. I am doubtful that in this age of health consciousness that companies will petition to continue to use PHO. If so, hopefully it will be easier for people to avoid than the current labeling scheme which allows trans-fats to be listed as 0g when less than 0.5g are present. This is why I advise people to read the ingredients label and if the word “hydrogenated” appears to avoid consuming that product.