As our general level of scientific illiteracy--among the highly educated as well as politicians, not to mention others--increases, we become prey to more and more unscientific food fads that not only do not do what they promise but might in fact be dangerous. As part of my curriculum in NUTRITION, HEALTH, and WELLNESS, I am using material found in popular magazines (usually located at the grocery store checkout stand) and, of course, on the Internet to illustrate the fact that much, if not most, of what is in the media about food and health is BOGUS! These pieces of misinformation usually contain many errors in basic physiology, and are frequently complete fantasy about the actions of various foods and "nutrients".One clue to bogosity (of many): Articles making outlandish claims for foods and diets almost always say that the material is supported by "research" or are preceded by the claim, "Researchers (or scientists) report...." As yet I have NEVER found these statements or articles to have footnotes or actual sources that can be checked. This is a common tactic of pseudoscience peddlers, quacks, and charlatans. Another common tactic is to quote celebrity doctors as if they are fountains of original truth; they are, in fact, often even more scientifically illiterate about the topic at hand than others. There is no substitute for real science or research, which almost anyone can access if he or she takes a little time.
DON'T BE A SCIENCE DOPE!
No comments:
Post a Comment