Looking for a quick way to assess your daily dose of “news-trition”? Watch for these ten red flags of junk science from the Food and Nutrition Alliance (FANSA):
- Recommendations that promise a quick fix
- Dire warnings of danger from a single product or regimen
- Claims that sound too good to be true
- Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study
- Recommendations based on a single study
- Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations
- Lists of “good” and “bad” foods
- Recommendations made to help sell a product
- Recommendations based on studies published without peer review
- Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups
If you’ve been taken in by a junk science claim:
- Check it out with a reliable source: a registered dietitian, your public health department, or your county Cooperative Extension office.
- Report a statement, product, or service that appears fraudulent: to the postal service if it came through the mail; to the Food and Drug Administration (your regional FDA office) if it’s about a dietary supplement; and to the Federal Trade Commission (1-877-FTC-HELP) if it’s an advertising claim.
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