The confusion over nutrition starts with books: a relatively recent analysis of 100 best-selling books on nutrition. I missed this when it came out in March. Here are some illuminating findings. #nutrition #health #wellness #food #diet
They found the 100 books written for the general public, focusing on nutrition, and published between 2008 and 2015 that sold the most copies (sales range: 23,228-730,901 copies).
Half of the authors had no MD, PhD or other graduate degrees. One author was a firefighter. Another was a professional pool player. 3.6% were dietitians and 4.8% were nutritionists.
Weight loss was a common theme, but 31/100 books promised to cure or prevent many diseases (cancer, dementia, heart disease, etc.).
The recommendations were OFTEN CONTRADICTORY between books (no surprise here but worth highlighting).
Disagreements over consumption of carbs and grains; of dairy; of fat content in dairy; of protein consumption; which diet was best; of the best way to replace a meal; and of whether or not calories should be counted.
The authors list disputable/unsubstantiated quotes from some of the books, including the infamous How Not to Die, which claims hibiscus tea works best than leading hypertensive drugs….
“Several of these authors seemed to have become wealthy entrepreneurs.” Hmm… it’s almost as if writing a quack nutrition book is an easy achievement and leads to riches!
The full paper is here: nature.com/articles/s4159…. A quick note on the last author.
It’s John Ioannidis. During COVID, he has revealed himself to be acting on ideology not scientific evidence. However, he has done excellent work in the past and this paper is very straightforward.
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