What's True About Nutrition?

How can you trust information about nutrition when it seems to change every week? Does a glass of wine a day really protect against heart disease? Is butter or margarine better for you? Does a high fiber diet help prevent colon cancer? One day the answer to these questions may be yes, the next day, no, according to the latest scientific studies. Why do these studies seem to have conflicting information?

One reason is that in the past, scientists were the people who discussed nutrition research, and when enough evidence accumulated, these scientists made recommendations to the general public. However, journalists, radio commentators, TV talk show hosts, and many Web sites report findings of new nutrition studies. While it is important and necessary for the public to be informed about scientific issues, the mass media does not always provide the context from which scientists view new research. One study is often reported in a way that suggests a new nutritional truth has been unearthed. Scientists, however, know that one study proves nothing. To scientists, a study that challenges conventional nutrition guidelines means that more research needs to be carried out.

Now listen, this is the part I really want you to hear. Talk show hosts, clerks in health food stores, track coaches, proprietors of gyms, physicians lacking nutrition education (approximately three out of four) and people with miscellaneous Web sites may confidently dish out nutritional advice. These individuals, however, do not have the rigid and brutal academic training required to speak with authority about nutrition. Where, then, you might ask are the reliable sources of nutrition information?

You can trust information from publications and Web sites of professional nutrition organizations such as the World Health Organization, The United States Department of Agriculture, the American Academy of Nutritional Sciences, the American Dietetic Association, the Dietitians of Canada, and the Society for Nutritional Education. You also can trust the many newsletters published by nutrition departments of colleges and universities. Nutritionists and registered dieticians will provide accurate nutrition information-though their recommendations may differ in certain details depending on each professional's interpretation of current research.