We all know that a simple health related search on the internet will return all sorts of weird and wonderful articles, ranging from highly reliable, to complete rubbish! But how do you know what information to trust? What’s reliable? What’s not so reliable? It definitely can feel like a bit of a mind field.
This is something which troubles me at times. I often search the internet, finding a range of products, books, and individuals claiming to have the secret to a healthier lifestyle. Many times such claims are made with absolutely no scientific research backing them, and in such cases I am very wary of the content.
However, sometimes even scientific studies, published in reputable journals, can leave us wondering what to believe. Over at Male Health, I came across an article Medical Fact or Media Fiction? How to Tell if Research is Reliable, which got me thinking – Are there any tests which we can apply, to find out if a study in reliable, or not?
Here are a few principles to look out for:
- Was the study large? Put simply – small studies are unreliable.
- Can the study be replicated? In other words, have repeat studies found the same/similar results? Or could someone repeat the study and find similar results?
- Has the research been carried out on humans, or animals? A trustworthy trial should include real people, with real treatments.
- Are the results statistically significant? The results should show a difference, which is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone.
- Who is paying for the study? This is a very important point to consider. If the sponsors appear to have a commercial interest in the findings, we do well to be a little more skeptical. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that the results are incorrect, or biased.
Don’t forget to check out the article Medical Fact or Media Fiction? How to Tell if Research is Reliable, for more great tips.
If you have any other questions please drop me a line, I’d be happy to help!
To transform the lifestyles of a diet-obsessed world by teaching people how to eat healthy and make healthy eating a habit for life.
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Good points Melanie. I find the animal research one very important. So much of what gets reported in the media under big, attention-grabbing headlines, is animal-based.
For a slightly more frivolous view, I particularly like this post from Diet-Blog: 7 ways to deal with alarming new research.
Hi Kathryn – Thanks for the link to Diet Blog. I checked it out too and yes, very good points over there! A little bit ‘tongue in cheek!’
Sometimes the media are ridiculous in their interpretation of scientific studies..unfortunately it seems that many people find unfounded claims easier to believe!
Also, many thanks for linking to me again in your posts!