7 Ways to Deal With Alarming New Research :

If you care enough about your health to be reading up on the latest research, you are unusual.

Most folks don't bother. Either the studies seem "boring," or they say things people don't want to hear. (You need to exercise! Stop smoking and eating so much junk food! A six-pack before dinner every night is NOT a smart idea!)

So normal people are quite skilled at ignoring research they don't like. Diet Blog readers, however, may be puzzled as to how to do this. We like science - though sometimes inaccurate, it beats superstition and wishful thinking. And usually the latest research is on our side: it says that we're doing smart healthy things and are going to live long happy lives.

But what do we do when a truly perplexing and dispiriting study comes out? For example, let's say new research says: "That Supplement You've Been Taking Might Give You Cancer Instead of Preventing It." Or, "The Meditation You've Been Forcing Yourself to Do for Twenty Years is Useless." Or, " Diet Soda Will Give You Heart Problems ."

How do you keep such news from Messing With Your Head?

1. Dismiss the Source
   This is easier if it's something a coworker tells you they read "somewhere"; harder if it's a comprehensive research review just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. However, look for conflicts of interest because often, you can find them or at least imagine them, which will help you feel better.
2. Dispute the Conclusion
   This is handy when headlines say "Something Is Useless." Because often what the article actually says is: "A Badly Designed Study Failed To Prove Something Was Useful." These are two different things. Another common problem is the confusion of correlation with causation. "Wheelchairs May Cause Mobility Problems" is the sort of headline idiots write upon noticing that most people confined to wheelchairs don't walk very well.
3. Differentiate the Population
   Perhaps a study just came out saying Shy People Die Young. But it only involved male shy people. If you're a shy woman, no problem!
4. Note that Previous Studies Said Otherwise
   Frequently, the only reason you're doing what you do now is because some study told you to. So you took your Vitamin E Or A or whatever, and then another study comes out and says, "Wait, no don't!" How do you know which one to pay attention to?
5. Wait it Out
   This is a general technique you can employ with all of the previous psychological coping mechanisms. If you don't want to change what you're doing, wait, because some new study may come out soon shifting things back again.
6. Make a Tentative Change Just In Case
   Easy if it's something you don't care too much about. Stop taking mega-doses of vitamins? Sure. Go on an extreme near-starvation calorie restricted diet to promote longevity? Um, still waiting on that one...
7. Change Course and Return to Smugness
   Sometimes scientific thinking evolves, and we evolve along with it. Many of us who were counting fat grams back in the eighties, who wouldn't touch peanut butter or avocados or dark chocolate or salmon because they were full of Evil Fat, are now happily back in the fold, saying we never "really" doubted they were good for us in the first place.

So does anyone else struggle with Unwelcome Scientific News? Or do you all take it in stride?

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