Health reporting in the popular media

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Healthy Aging:

I Read the News Today – Oh, Boy

By James B. LaValle

 

Diet headlines sell newspapers and magazines. Because of that, diet and

nutrition articles are everywhere. The American public needs this

information. But BEWARE!  You can't always believe what you read in

the mainstream media. 

Because health information is so good at selling publications, reporters

grab any new study for material but very frequently do not report the

results accurately or put the study results in proper context. This is

such an insidious problem that groups like the American Dietetic

Association have developed programs to foster more responsible health

reporting.

 

Here's a recent example.  A study was published in the Journal of the

American Medical Association that found that, among breast cancer

survivors, a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat did not

reduce cancer re-occurrence in the next seven years. One headline based

on this study in a regional online newsletter was " Fruit Does Not Reduce

Cancer Risk. "

 

What??? 

 

First, the study wasn't just on fruit, it was on total fruit and

vegetable intake combined with low-fat diet. But the most important

factor to realize in this study was that it was done on cancer

survivors, people who have already had cancer. 

 

Because these study subjects already had cancer, we know they probably

have had serious factors in their life that led to their high-risk

status to begin with. For instance, they may have used hormone

replacement therapy or have very dense breast tissue, both of which

greatly increase breast cancer risk. 

 

In addition, cancer treatment itself raises risk of future cancers. So

when we are studying a group of women who already had breast cancer we

are studying an already high-risk group.

 

So, the proper reporting should state that in a very high-risk group of

people, fruits and vegetables and low-fat diet don't seem to be enough

to prevent cancer re-occurrence. The problem with the previously

mentioned headline is that a healthy person who still stands a chance of

preventing cancer might misinterpret it and think that eating fruit

doesn't help anything. Yet study after study has shown that eating a

diet high in fruits and vegetables not only can help lower cancer risk,

it can also reduce risk of stroke and heart disease.

 

What's the bottom line?  Fruits and vegetables contain a wonderful

array of disease-preventing nutrients in a low-calorie package. Eating

lots of them, especially when combined with other good habits like

exercise, greatly reduces your risk of disease - period!  Keep eating

them, and don't let any headline tell you any differently.

 

[Ed. Note: Jim LaValle is an educator, clinician and industry consultant

in the field of integrative healthcare. He is a licensed pharmacist,

board certified clinical nutritionist and doctor of naturopathic

medicine with more than 20 years clinical practice experience in the

field of natural therapeutics and functional medicine. Named one of the

" 50 Most Influential Druggists " by American Druggist for his work in

natural medicine, LaValle has authored 13 books, including his latest,

Cracking the Metabolic Code.]

 

This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise's Total Health

Breakthroughs, offering alternative solutions for mind, body and

soul.  For a complimentary subscription, visit

http://www.totalhealthbreakthroughs.com