I gave up reading after number 5, when NONE of the ones already mentioned were in any way not worthy of study. In fact, these studies provided a wealth of information and data about the subjects they were examining. The fact that the author of this current post felt the article was worthy of re-linking is unfortunate, and telling.
If you want to post a list of useless, poorly implemented studies, whose results are not worth the paper they are printed on, why not start with CARES and Framingham, both of which are so fundamentally flawed as to be worthless. And even where there data is correct, it refutes the conclusions of the study authors, so these data are conveniently ignored. One such example is the fact that the Framingham study showed a dramatically statistically significant correlation between high serum cholesterol and DECREASE in coronary artery disease, the disease the study claims cholesterol causes, in men in their fifties and sixties, exactly the group most affected by CAD. The only group where they saw a significant positive correlation between CAD and cholesterol levels was the very young, i.e. the group that has the least to worry about with regard to CAD.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. There are candy canes, mistletoe, and, of course, the fabulous year’s end top ten lists.
Studies and scientific research have been a popular topic here on ZDNet Health. There has been much lively debate and informative discussion. If you haven’t checked it out, it’s worth a read. Don’t forget to check out the reader comments, they’re my favorite part.
See also: Don’t leave it to the scientists
See also: A nurse and an economist walk into a coffee bar…
See also: Does being a night owl make you fat?
Because our tech-and-science loving readership has shown a strong interest in research, I thought I’d give you a Christmas Chuckle by sharing a great top ten list from Time magazine, the Top 10 Ridiculously Obvious Study Findings.
Some of them are hysterically funny. But some are actually, in my opinion, somewhat useful. Just because a thing seems obvious doesn’t always mean it’s true. In fact, some of the things we’ve heard over and over again, and accept as ironclad truths, can be proven to be untrue (or at least more nuanced than was originally suspected). It’s worth proving that things we hold to be self-evident are actually rooted in good scientific fact.
As a nurse, I like the trend toward evidence based practice. It helps medical professionals be sure the things we do to treat patients are truly helpful and not either useless or worse, contraindicated. That having been said, it is best if our study budgets are allocated to places where they can get us the most bang for our buck.
In your opinion, were these studies useless or useful? Did you get a laugh out of them? Let us know what you think of the most obvious study findings in the TalkBacks below.
