Understanding How The Media Reports on Health and Nutrition

When the World Health Organization announced their findings about the risk factors of eating red meat, many media outlets ran headlines equating bacon to cigarettes. Red meat, coffee, wine, fish, and other foods and drinks have been the source of stories in the media that have been misleading, vague, and contradictory. For this week’s Please Explain, we are talking all about how the media covers nutrition, and what you need to know when reading health and nutrition reporting, with Anahad O’Connor, health reporter at The New York Times. 
 

Does bacon give you cancer? Up next, please explain is all about nutrition in the headlines. Have a question? Send it our way.
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015

Absolute risk of colon cancer is much lower that people thing https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015

"The critical word is 'association'" @anahadoconnor breaks down observational scientific studies https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015

"There are studies associating everything we eat with cancer" says @anahadoconnor https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015

What's causing obesity? The beverage industry-financed studies says sugary drinks have nothing to do with it.
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015

"I for one always try to eat wild fish" says @anahadoconnor, health reporter for @nytimes https://t.co/c7tYFWmuxJ
— Leonard Lopate (@LeonardLopate) November 13, 2015