The easiest way to understand low carb and exercise is to understand proper science. Most of you who enjoy this site are not exclusively concerned with low carb and exercise. Chances are, my readers are health conscious and care about health in all aspects. From avoiding chemical shampoos and aluminum deodorant to using a safe sunscreen. Health is more than just nutrition, but there isn’t always an abundance of information out there.
We all see studies published in newspapers and read many different articles online. Many times you’ll see an article saying saturated fat is bad, then the next week you’ll see a different article saying otherwise. One day we may run across an article saying how amazing jogging is for physical health, then the next week we hear how stressful it is for our heart, knees and lower back. Which article is right and which one isnt? They can’t all be right!
The reason we get confused is because most of us aren’t science literate. After all, why should we be? That’s a scientists job. Scientist are responsible for figuring this stuff out and giving us the information. Unfortunately when data is manipulated and egos get involved, science becomes distorted and so does the information.
Knowing how to distinguish credible science from the shaky crap will probably lead to one of the biggest paradigm shifts of your life. It isn’t hard either. There’s just a few simple things to look out for when you’re reading an article or a study.
- Is this an observational study or a clinical study?
- Are the variables looked at separately?
- If variable A and B cause C. Can it be possibly C is causing both A and B?
- If A is causing B, is it possible B is causing A?
- Has this study been repeated with consistent results?
- Can this study be replicated to give consistent results?
- Correlation doesn’t automatically mean causation
This is just a quick summary of what to look for. To really understand everything listed above thoroughly, I suggest you watch “Science for Smart People” by Tom Naughton, the creator of “Fathead”. This video made everything clear to me. I don’t have to be confused or frustrated anymore.
Learning to understand science will bring much relief and save you so much trouble in the future. Suddenly, everything is starting to make sense now.
[…] an observation, then drawing a conclusion from it is dangerous. Here’s a previous entry of mine about what’s wrong with […]