The chocolate diet hoax

kxbrown27

Interesting article about how easy it is to spread junk science out to all of us. And a reminder of the importance of doing your own research.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-the-chocolate-diet-hoax-fooled-millions/

juggernaut1974

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10173475/i-fooled-millions-into-thinking-chocolate-helps-weight-loss-heres-how

Already had a thread about it...but I agree. Very eye opening.

kxbrown27

Hmm. Search function didn't function very well this time. My bad.

earlnabby

kxbrown27 wrote: »

Hmm. Search function didn't function very well this time. My bad.

At least you tried.

Wiseandcurious

The more threads about this the better... Considering the amount of gullibility I have seen on MFP and in the population at large, you can never draw enough attention to this. Ever.

vinerie

kxbrown27 wrote: »

Interesting article about how easy it is to spread junk science out to all of us. And a reminder of the importance of doing your own research.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-the-chocolate-diet-hoax-fooled-millions/

This 'prank' exposes bad journalism. Journalists ran with the story without vetting the particulars.

One thing that really bothers me on these boards is the general skepticism toward science. People don't trust studies. There are a lot of really smart people doing good science about health issues, including weight loss. It's important to look at where those articles are published (these new open-source journals allow you to publish your "studies" with a fee; established journals do not require authors to pay in order to have your work published.)

earlnabby

vinerie wrote: »

kxbrown27 wrote: »

Interesting article about how easy it is to spread junk science out to all of us. And a reminder of the importance of doing your own research.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-the-chocolate-diet-hoax-fooled-millions/

This 'prank' exposes bad journalism. Journalists ran with the story without vetting the particulars.

One thing that really bothers me on these boards is the general skepticism toward science. People don't trust studies. There are a lot of really smart people doing good science about health issues, including weight loss. It's important to look at where those articles are published (these new open-source journals allow you to publish your "studies" with a fee; established journals do not require authors to pay in order to have your work published.)

The second part that this prank exposed is not just the bad journalism, but how easy it is to get "scientific" studies published. It is good that people are skeptical of everything that is published. We need to be. It is harder to get something published in a respected peer-reviewed journal, but it is still very possible. How often do studies get retracted? More so than you would think. As the article says, be skeptical of everything and do your own research into how the study was conducted, where it was published, how and by whom it was reviewed. etc.

flumi_f

But I lost almost 30kg eating dark chocolate.....

I wonder, if it was because I stayed at a cal deficit?

Beautiful_Warrior94

flumi_f wrote: »

But I lost almost 30kg eating dark chocolate.....

I wonder, if it was because I stayed at a cal deficit?

Staying in a calorie deficit was the biggest part

blues4miles

Beautiful_Warrior94 wrote: »

flumi_f wrote: »

But I lost almost 30kg eating dark chocolate.....

I wonder, if it was because I stayed at a cal deficit?

Staying in a calorie deficit was the biggest part

Tell that to the low-carbers...

erinc5

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