All scientific studies are not created equal. Assuming all scientific research is reliable is the same as playing with fire. You're bound to get burned. When I took journalism courses back in college the one premise that always stuck with me was “Consider the Source”. This serves one well whether watching news or advertising, or reading articles, non-fiction books, weblogs, or science journals. You can’t put a lot of stock in study results stating ‘milk aids in a slimmer waist’ if it was funded by the dairy industry or the results are taken out of context.
A recently published study stated children who drink more than three servings of milk a day are prone to overweight. The study participants included more than 12,000 children nationwide and found that the more milk they drank, the more weight they gained. Those consuming more than three servings each day were about 35 percent more likely to become overweight than those who drank one or two.
This undermines a heavily advertised dairy industry claim that milk helps people lose weight. The scientific study the dairy advertisers relied on to pitch their “Milk aids in weight loss” campaign stated CALCIUM supported weight loss, not milk. Making an assumption (without a solidly designed study to back it up) that because milk has calcium it will also support weight loss is unreliable stupidity. Always consider the source (along with their funding and affiliations) before swallowing what the scientific community and the media are spoon feeding you.
Jimmy Moore illustrated this beautifully in a blog. Read more and watch the video.
