All that advice

When a study a day leaves you muddled about your diet, here is how you should sift the truth from the noise

Nutrition and health news in television, print and the Internet often confuse you. Coffee is good for you one morning but next morning, you are told it leads to osteoporosis. Milk is good for bones but bad for cancer patients. Margarine is better than butter8230;..no wait, may be butter is better after all. Fish is great food and just when you start eating it regularly, it contains toxic mercury. What does the public do when scientific research keeps contradicting itself? Such flip-flops can be maddening, especially when you8217;re making your best effort to live a healthy lifestyle. Why go to the trouble of making big changes when today8217;s recommendation may be tomorrow8217;s bad example?

Over the past 100 years, great strides have been made in improving the health of people the world over due to scientific advances that have helped prevent and treat many serious diseases. But scientific research is a dynamic process that moves forward slowly. Recommendations are made based on the best science available at the time. However, with new research and new results, these recommendations may be revised.

The research process is like placing stones on an old-fashioned balance scale. When enough weight accumulates on one side, the scale tips in favour of a particular recommendation. And the more weight there is on one side, the stronger the recommendation is and the more evidence it would take to change it.

If, on one side of the scale, you have over 40 studies showing that moderate alcohol intake can lower the risk of heart disease and, on the other, one or two studies that contradict those results, the scale would hardly budge. The weight of evidence would still be greatly in favour of moderate alcohol intake protecting against heart disease. Indeed, the link between alcohol and heart disease is so strong that it8217;s known as an established relationship. But not all links are as clear-cut as this. Often, the weight of evidence is not as great. In some cases, only a handful of studies has addressed a particular question. In other cases, a large number of studies may favour one argument, but there may also be some particularly significant studies pitching for the other side8212;enough to cast some doubt.

People also tend to believe what they hear repeatedly, even if it has no scientific basis. This is particularly true of stories related to obesity, cancer, vitamins, minerals and food safety. The blood group theory for weight loss seems to be one such example.

The important thing to remember is that when one study becomes a headline or a 30-second sound byte, it may be oversimplified, distorted or overstated. Try and get to the original scientific article whenever possible and you may discuss it with your counselor to evaluate its relevance for yourself. One study does not provide all the answers to our questions, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Nutrition is a young science and research evidence must be adopted with common sense in the backdrop of traditional wisdom. Keep an open mind, but also think critically. Nutritional science says there is no best diet, no 8216;good8217; and 8216;bad8217; foods. Variety, moderation and balance are the keys to healthy eating. Remember that food is more than the nutrients it provides. It is a part of the way we enjoy and celebrate life.
The writer is a former senior nutritionist at Escorts. She heads the Centre of Dietary Counselling and also runs a health food store. She feels that for complete well-being, one should integrate physical, mental and spiritual health. According to her: 8220;To be healthy should be the ultimate goal for all.8221;