Critics

Everybody’s a Critic

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been listening to a variety of health-related podcasts. One just went from one topic to another about the benefits of the ketogenic diet; no matter the issue, it was going to be part of the solution one way or another. Another simply criticized any research that had to do with losing weight or what could be termed ultra-processed foods. Then I found one that was so science-driven, it was a real snoozer unless you had a strong interest in the topic. That’s the one that caught my attention.

Two scientists were discussing the state of health information. They said that one thing or another was pitched as a villain: carbohydrates, seed oils, fats in general, protein, food additives, and on and on. One health influencer starts off a critique, and everyone jumps in. I relate to that one because I often am asked my opinion on these topics. One of the scientists said a group of researchers came to this conclusion:

Only three things matter when it comes to nutrition or any research; the data, the methodology used to collect the data, and the logic connecting the data to the conclusions being made. Everything else is tangential.

There’s always something to criticize about any type of nutrition research, from the methods to the statistics to the logic used in the formation of and the conclusions of the study. Those can be irrelevant to the actual study and are just someone’s pet peeve this week. Everybody’s a critic, and I’ll give you a precise example on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet