LIVING AN EXCEPTIONAL LIFE #74

By Rhonda Jones

With the popularity of the internet, almost everyone is getting their news and medical advice from Facebook, Instagram, X and Google. And, this trend has also spurned a lot of misinformation as well.

What is really scary to me is that there is so much medical misinformation floating around on social media. Most is dealing with nutrition and condemning foods that have been touted as healthy and now are being seen as unhealthy while foods that typically are not the best for you are being transformed into super food. It is disturbing to me because this misinformation can have detrimental results for some people. Many of us try to lead healthy lives, eat foods for health and take supplements that we feel will enhance our health. How can we determine what is real and what is hype?

If there is real science behind the claim, the writer will be able to cite studies such as randomized controlled trials, case central studies, meta analysis or systematic reviews. There will be no sensational language such as this is “the best,” “I have a secret” or the problem has a single root cause. Instead, the writer will “suggest” that something has a particular outcome, “perhaps” the study might show x benefits or the study “suggests” that there is a certain benefit.

If the writer is trying to sell a product, absolutely run the other way because any research sited may be slanted to sell their product. Before buying any supplements on social media, research the claims and the person making the claims.

What should we look for when reviewing nutritional advice? Precise studies that are not just anecdotal accounts of people who have had good outcomes but studies involving several participants and lasting over a period of months or years. The study should include outcomes from the participants particularly concerning their lab tests at the end of the study. For example, what type of outcome did most participants receive? Were there less heart issues, was cholesterol affected, were diabetics able to get off of medication, did arthritis sufferers have less pain? If someone is listing positive outcomes but not giving specific studies to prove these outcomes, then this may just be speculation with no clear evidence of positive improvement.

There are so many diets going around social media today that have no long term studies. In order to know if a nutrition program is going to be successful or harmful, we must know what the long term ramifications are for that eating plan. The plant-based or plant exclusive diet has been studied significantly over the last century. There are still long term studies going on today. One study in particular is in Loma Linda California, one of the Blue Zones in the world. A blue zone is identified as an area where there is much less illness and people live much longer than most with many centenarians in the region.

Loma Linda has a large concentration of Seventh Day Adventists and a dietary study has gone on for decades there. Much data has come from this study and what they have found in general is that the population is healthier because many eat a predominantly plant-exclusive diet, exercise regularly and have good social connections.

In conclusion, before you make dietary changes based on advice from social media, look for the scientific studies, make sure no one is selling anything and look for real science not just people who have said they like the product. If you are reading a book, carefully study the bibliography and review the studies used to write the book. Health is too important to leave to chance.