From Science to Social Media: Why Nutrition Misinformation Haunts Us
Nutrition science is a fairly new concept. Research only just began in the early 1900s, with the first vitamin being isolated and named in 1926. Since we’re regularly inundated with information on how to be healthier, it may surprise you most of what we know about nutrition science has only really been around since the 1950s.
Nutrition science is ever evolving and can be a hotbed of controversy, like how eggs were once to blame for causing elevated cholesterol levels and how eating small frequent meals will boost metabolism. We know that saturated fat has a larger effect on blood cholesterol rather than dietary cholesterol and no evidence has been found linking the amount of meals eaten and weight.
One of the many reasons behind all the controversy is due to inconsistencies in the research. For example, the design, data collection and conflicts of interest can make or break a study. If you have 10 participants in a study who self-reported what they ate six months ago or even last week, it will not produce accurate results. I can barely remember what I ate yesterday! Additionally, where the funding comes from can cause bias. Research funded by the food/beverage/supplement industry shouldn’t be tossed out the window, but it should be noted.
Once research is published, media outlets may cherry-pick what they want to publish and how they publish it to get as many clicks as they can, and that often involves a very enticing headline that can mislead readers. Scientific papers are already hard to read and results often get misinterpreted or watered down for someone without a science degree to understand. For example, in a Women’s Health magazine a headline titled, “Snacking on Nuts Found to Help Prevent Weight Gain” included a link to the research report. The study was actually done with a group of people who self-reported how many nuts they ate and their weight. This only shows a correlation between weight and eating nuts and doesn’t necessarily mean the nuts prevented weight gain.
Just like anything else, food and people have a complicated relationship. The food we eat is different depending on our location. There are 19 different fruits, vegetables and nuts exclusively grown in California- that means 99% of commercially produced crops like celery and broccoli are grown in the Golden State. So that broccoli is going to be fresher for me in San Diego than my parents living in Pennsylvania. Food that’s grown in different soils can have different nutrients and food that has been transported hundreds of miles versus fresh vegetables at the local farmer’s market will be different too.
And each person digests, metabolizes and uses foods differently depending on age, gender, race, metabolic rate, health and fitness level. All of these differences will affect results of food and nutrition research, so we can’t apply results of one study to the general population.
And lastly, (and probably the most prevalent in this day in age) there are a lot of people with very loud voices online who are not scientists but believe they have the authority to educate on social media about health and nutrition. Brand deals, promo codes and followers don’t equate to credentials, education and knowledge. Unfortunately, in today’s era, the loudest voices get the most attention.
I can help you lower the volume on all of those screaming headlines, Tik Toks and wherever else you consume nutrition content. Book a free consultation with me here and follow me on Instagram!
Mozaffarian D, Rosenberg I, Uauy R. History of modern nutrition science—implications for current research, dietary guidelines, and food policy BMJ 2018; 361 :k2392 doi:10.1136/bmj.k2392
Hi! I’m Shelby, a sports dietitian, here to help runners fuel for peak performance. Let’s start your journey to improved performance and health!
