Understanding The Science

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“If you torture the data long enough, it will confess to anything.”
– Ronald Coase

This insightful statement underscores that data can be interpreted or manipulated to support a wide range of conclusions if not analyzed carefully and ethically. It is said that you can find a study to support whatever theory or stance you have. This highlights the importance of understanding science and using critical thinking when evaluating studies.

Science is crucial in understanding our health. Science provides generalizations that guide exercise and nutrition recommendations and decisions. However, it’s essential to remember that generalizations are based on averages representing trends, not guarantees. Within every study, there are outliers—individuals who respond negatively or others who respond very positively to the intervention. Studies generalize based on how the majority of people respond and whether there is a statistically significant difference between the groups. These variations highlight the importance of critical thinking when interpreting scientific findings. It’s impossible to control all variables and some studies are designed better than others.

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Considerations When Examining the Science:

Animal Studies vs. Human Studies

Animal studies provide foundational insights into biological processes. Mice and fruit flies are commonly used because of their short lifespans, ease of breeding, and genetic simplicity, which allow scientists to observe effects quickly and at lower costs. It’s much easier to access thousands of mice and control their environment. However, the biology of small animals and insects differ significantly from humans, limiting our ability to generalize the results to humans. 

Larger animals like dogs and primates share more physiological and genetic similarities with humans, making their results more relevant. However, these studies are more expensive, ethically sensitive, and logistically complex. 

Human studies are ideal, but it’s much more difficult to recruit thousands of human subjects and to directly control their environment. Human controlled studies are very expensive and challenging to control. While animal studies are invaluable for early-stage research, human studies are essential for confirming the relevance to human biology and health.

Randomized Double-Blind Controlled Studies vs. Epidemiology

A randomized double-blind controlled study is the gold standard in research. Participants are randomly assigned to groups (e.g., treatment or placebo), and neither they nor the researchers know who is receiving what. This minimizes bias and isolates the effects of the intervention, allowing researchers to establish causation.

Epidemiological studies, on the other hand, analyze patterns and associations in large populations over time. While they are powerful for identifying correlations (e.g., smoking and lung cancer), they cannot prove causation because many confounding factors may influence the outcomes.

Cause vs. Correlation

One of the most critical distinctions in science is between cause and correlation. Correlation means two variables occur together but does not imply one causes the other. For example, ice cream sales and drowning incidents increase in summer, but eating ice cream doesn’t cause drowning. Cause establishes a direct relationship, often requiring controlled experiments to prove.

Controlled vs. Natural Environments

Studies in controlled environments (e.g., labs) eliminate variables, making it easier to isolate specific effects. However, they may not reflect real-world conditions. In contrast, studies in natural environments provide more realistic results but face challenges in controlling variables, which can introduce noise into the data.

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Scientific studies are not perfect. Unfortunately, negative consequences have surfaced due to recommendations made based on the results of poor studies. It’s important to understand the nuances of scientific studies so we can better interpret the findings, and weigh their strengths and limitations while deciding how to apply them to our own lives.

Yours in health & fitness,
Sherri McMillan