So, the Institute of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association have issued new reports on which fish are healthy, which should be eaten in moderation and which should be avoided by the young, the elderly and those with specific medical issues.
So, while some media heralded the news as "clearing up the existing confusion," I’m a little more
cynical. Yes, the reports were concise and precise but, when will the contradictions begin? When will some Johns Hopkins researcher suddenly announce a new study that either muddies or disrupts yesterday’s findings entirely?
Medical research is a desperately important component to modern-day life but, from an image and reputation standpoint, the constant mixed messages and new research contradicting old reminds me a bit of the "boy who cried wolf."
Keep issuing those reports, guys, but don’t be angry if I don’t take the bait.
Fish is bogus anyway. The only time I’ll eat it is in the form of sushi or when I pop my daily Omega 3 pill.
By the way, you know why fish are so thin right? Because they eat fish…
Here’s a post that I’m all about! I would agree with Trish’s comment, but would add “in moderation” to the end.
That jpeg of salmon and what looks like yellow squash has got me salivating. Maybe that will be on today’s menu…
You make a good point about mixed messages but it’s not just related to medical research – like any research, it has to be taken into context.
I personally love Trish’ comment about you only live once, but, writing from what is now officially the most obese country in Europe (according to a recent study), it is difficult to complain about any communication or publicity in relation to healthier living.
I hear ya on this one. I worked for the good ole food industry in my former life – supporting the nutrition and science of our product. (I actually loved it – kept my brain working in a different way.) The thing is – the research is just that, researched. There are guidelines and they take place at major universities, but often, the results are not overwhelming, but enough to make a claim. Then three weeks later, a vegan group comes out and does similar research but interprets their results differently. It all lies in the interpretation. But the best is when a group of researchers get to get together looking for one thing and getting another. I feel the actual research is not biased – but getting media pickup often is – the first thing the reporter asks is “who supported the study?” No matter who supported it, the results are the results – but if the result was not what they would like, they just don’t do media outreach around it, it quietly goes away.
My takeaway is, “you only live once – eat what you want!”