How research affects the layman

Three studies published in the Journal of the American Medical Association show that women who eat less fat, and more fruit and vegetables, are at no less a risk of cancer or heart disease than others, while the New England Journal of Medicine carries results indicating that calcium and vitamin D supplements are unlikely to prevent broken bones in older women. These revelations come along after statistics questioned the US government’s assertion that obesity causes nearly as many deaths as smoking, and have led some media outlets to conclude that the public will take the news as carte blanche to eat as they please. However, according to Michael Allenson, of food industry consulting firm Technomic, people are used to the fact that often medical studies coming out with conflicting conclusions.

Reuters