In light of the recent news that processed meat is linked to cancer, some stuff to be reminded of regarding the way science works. I’m not saying such links are not true, but one has to be very wary of how scientific research on food is done. Case in point, this article about the study that found out that supposedly honey is not any healthier than sugar or corn syrup as a sweetener.

The problem is not so much science itself (these research studies do have problems of their own), but rather how media and companies use science as a way to push or sell an idea that will have an impact on viewers and consumers. Another problem is, of course, how people themselves take in all the information that is available to them without concerning themselves with how scientific studies are conducted. Media consumers in general (myself included, of course) act as uncritical and uninformed as people who are against vaccinations or those who do not want to believe in global warming. Part of the problem is, of course, our obsessions with simplifying reality: things are either “good” or “bad”, “healthy” or “unhealthy”, “true” or “not true”. Reality, health and human experiences are a lot more complex than that; science is a human method that’s not devoid of problems mixed in with a very “unhealthy” dosage of our own modern obsessions and desire for simplicity in our lives (which comes from information that we often get from the worst sources available).

Original source: Unexpected Honey Study Shows Woes of Nutrition Research

Almost everything we "know" is based on small, limited studies, and the limited conclusions are often overblown.