Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Let's continue on in our search for truth! We are going to cover more tips on how to read studies and determine their usefulness.
Surrogate Markers
Many drugs and treatments are effective. But, are they effecting in improving your overall health or quality of life? Just because something improves the plasma levels of one vitamin or lowers the amount of another hormone does not mean that it is getting to the root cause of your issue or not causing more damage in another area. Where there's an effect, there's a side effect. For example, statin drugs lower plasma cholesterol levels. Good right? But here’s the kicker, the average reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke as a result of taking them is less than 1%. In other words, you can have pretty blood tests but that does not translate into a meaningful benefit for your long-term health.
Absolute vs Relative Terms
So here’s a little trick that those who structure the studies use to move things around in their benefit. It’s called relative vs absolute terms. Absolute terms are the actual numbers found in the study. Let’s take an imaginary study that found that a new drug reduces the risk of heart failure from 34% to 33%. This would be a 1% reduction in risk expressed in absolute terms. (34-33 = 1). Expressed in relative terms this study would have found a 50% percent reduction in risk (1% divided by 2% = 50%. This is how many drugs are brought to the market reporting a medical breakthrough when in reality they are extremely ineffective. You, the patient, are only getting a 1% reduction in risk, but promised a 50% reduction. Sneaky, huh? When you take this into account, along with all of the damaging side effects of the drugs, they hardly seem worthwhile. I used to laugh watching commercials for drugs when they get to the part of the side effects. Your life may be changed forever by taking this allergy medication and you can dance amongst the wildflowers, but you may have a stroke, or heart attack, or muscle spasms or DIE.
Reductionism
Now, if you’re a member for any length of time, you’ll hear me talk about this little word “reductionism”. It’s a key flaw in the work of many health professionals and once you begin to know what it is, you’ll find it everywhere. You may even find yourself a little skeptical of the health claims that are out there – and that’s a good thing! Reductionism means focusing on the effect of one, single nutrient or benefit of a food or drug or nutrient without taking into account the effect of that food, drug, or nutrient on the total health of the person. Many people tout one vitamin or nutrient as the thing that will change your health outcome but this isn’t the case. Remember, we are interconnected beings. It’s never just one thing – your body works as a whole. In research studies, you can often find studies that say, for example, that vitamin D is a beneficial supplement to take by measuring the increase of blood markers when the supplement is given to someone who is “low”, and then observing that people who do not have cancer have high levels of vitamin D. Researchers would then infer that people who take vitamin D would have a lower risk of cancer. This is reductionism at its finest and you’ll find it everywhere! Just check the labels on your favorite health products. Oats decrease your risk of heart disease. Vitamin C reduces your risk of cancer. Drinking wine is good for your heart. Don’t fall for these traps. And that is just what they are. Traps. Remember, we are looking for the preponderance of evidence, not just for good news about our bad habits.
Misreporting of studies
Lastly, I’ll just mention that the media often misreports study results. Please do not rely on your daily news for health information. Many times, these journalists are not experts on nutrition or medicine, and are also bound to the wishes of the advertisers that support the publication or TV show. There are countless media publications that do not even print the references to the studies they write about and it's unbelievable how easily the abstracts can be misinterpreted. This goes for “health” websites and writers as well. You should always go to the study yourself to read it and determine if it is a quality study before jumping on the latest "Butter is Back" or "Keto" diet craze. My article, "Killer Veggies" gives an excellent overview of the danger of both reductionism and relying on the headlines of articles when making healthCARE decisions.
In summary, here are your bullet points to decide if a study is worthwhile:
Watch for:
Conflicts of interest – many studies are bought and paid for
Study design - replication of studies, the preponderance of evidence
Correlation vs Cause-and-effect – just because you see it, doesn’t mean it’s worth your time
Surrogate Markers – health markers don’t always equal long-term benefit
Absolute vs Relative – 1% doesn’t equal 50%
Reductionism – singling out one health benefit, food, or nutrient
Media Misrepresentation - don’t just read headlines
With these things in mind, you are well on your way to living free from fear and making confident medical decisions!