Nutrition Science: Scientific Method and Research

To understand how scientists collect evidence about nutrition and health and how to analyze this information to determine whether it is factual and based on scientific evidence or misinformation.

When the results of current scientific research no longer support them.

Anecdotal evidence is based on personal experiences or testimonials, whereas scientific evidence is based on systematic observation, measurement, and experimentation.

<p>To isolate the effect of the variable being tested and to ensure that the results are due to the variable and not to other factors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To become a more critical and careful consumer of nutrition- and health-related information.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A direct relationship means that as one variable increases, the other variable also increases, whereas an inverse relationship means that as one variable increases, the other variable decreases.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Due to various methodological differences, such as study design, population, and measurement tools.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>These approaches are often based on personal opinions and beliefs rather than scientific evidence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Due to safety and ethical concerns</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In vivo experiment</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide information about the role of chemical X in the development of disease</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To compare results between the two study groups to determine whether the treatment had any effect</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A characteristic or other factor that can change and influence an outcome</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To determine the effect of the single variable being tested</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Data (facts)</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Due to physiological differences between humans and laboratory animals</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Generally accepted methods, including the scientific method</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>In vitro or 'test tube' experiment</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To obtain information about health conditions (outcomes) that may result from specific dietary practices.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A randomized controlled trial (RCT) is a type of experiment where a large group of people is randomly divided into treatment and control groups. It is used to ensure that the members of the treatment and control groups have similar variables, such as age, weight, and other characteristics.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because individual humans vary greatly within a population, and some subjects may not provide all necessary physical data or drop out of the study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A placebo is a fake treatment that mimics the real treatment, allowing scientists to compare the extent of the treatment's response with that of the placebo.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>So that subjects cannot determine whether they are in the treatment or control group based on the appearance, taste, or smell of the intervention.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The disease was pellagra, and most medical experts thought it was an infectious disease caused by 'germs'.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He observed that not everyone who was exposed to people suffering from pellagra developed the condition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>He suspected that the diet eaten by prisoners, who were prone to pellagra, was deficient in some essential nutrient.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It challenged the prevailing view that diseases are only caused by 'germs' and led to a greater understanding of the role of nutrition in disease prevention.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It highlights the importance of nutrition in preventing disease and promoting human health.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Corn bread, hominy grits, molasses, potatoes, cabbage, and rice.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They had higher incomes and ate more meat, milk, and fresh vegetables.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Meat, milk, and other foods eaten regularly by people with high incomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To test the idea that pellagra was an infectious disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>A deficiency of vitamin niacin in the diet.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To prevent researchers and subjects from influencing the results based on their expectations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They may unwittingly convey clues to the subjects, influencing their beliefs about the treatment.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To control for the effect of expectations on the outcome of the study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To identify a subject's group membership without revealing it during the study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They eliminate the potential for investigators to influence the results based on their knowledge of group assignments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To study how long-term dietary choices influence people's health.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Observational studies, including case-control and cohort studies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To identify factors that may have contributed to the development of a health condition.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Retrospective cohort studies look back in time, while prospective cohort studies look forward in time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Data about past food-related behaviors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To assess the health and nutritional status of a nationally representative sample of Americans.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because multiple factors, including genetic susceptibility, environmental conditions, and lifestyle practices, can influence the development of the disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Differences in dietary practices and disease occurrences.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Various kinds of information (variables) about a large group of people over time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Dietary practices that differ between cases and controls.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The placebo effect is when a patient reports positive results from a treatment because of their expectations, not the treatment itself. It occurs when a patient believes a treatment will be effective, stimulating the release of chemicals in the brain that alter pain perception, reducing discomfort.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The nocebo effect is when a patient reports negative results from a treatment because of their expectations, not the treatment itself. It differs from the placebo effect in that the patient expects harm instead of improvement.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Prevalence refers to the number of people in a particular population who have a disease. It is used in epidemiological studies to understand the distribution and causes of health problems in populations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Inaccurate dietary information provided by participants due to faulty long-term memories.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Epidemiology is the study of the occurrence, distribution, and causes of health problems in populations. Its role is to understand the factors that affect a population's health and identify causes of disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To identify links between exposures and diseases over a period of time.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Epidemiologists determine the occurrence, distribution, and causes of health problems by collecting and analyzing data from physical examinations, laboratory tests, and surveys.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An example is the discovery of lead poisoning in preschool-aged children in a major city. Epidemiologists compared the living conditions of affected children to healthy children and found that the drinking water was the cause of the lead poisoning.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The Framingham Heart Study.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because correlation does not necessarily imply causation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It is important to use controls in epidemiological studies to establish a comparison group and determine whether the results are due to the treatment or other factors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The role of surveys in epidemiological studies is to obtain information about the population's health, behaviors, and environmental factors that may affect health.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The relationship between sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption and body weight.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Epidemiologists use data from physical examinations and laboratory tests to determine factors that affect a population's health and identify causes of disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The relationship between fruit intake and hypertension.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It could be a coincidence.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The ultimate goal of epidemiological studies is to understand the causes of health problems and inform public health policy and interventions to prevent and treat disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The findings may not be generalizable to the entire population.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It identified numerous risk factors for heart disease, including elevated blood cholesterol levels, cigarette smoking, and hypertension.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To avoid misinterpreting correlation as causation and to understand the potential biases in the data.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because much of the scientific research is supported financially by sources that may have certain expectations or biases about research outcomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To critically analyze the study to ensure it was well conducted, results are fairly represented, and the research is of interest to the journal's readers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The sugar industry used its influence to divert attention away from sugar's role in the development of heart disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It led medical researchers to suspect that certain dietary components played a major role in the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To analyze data collected from observations and experiments and find relationships between variables and health outcomes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>So that other researchers can learn from their investigations and build upon their findings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>That consumption of added sugars causes heart disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because correlation does not necessarily imply causation, and other factors may be responsible for the observed relationship.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Funding sources can have certain expectations or biases about research outcomes, which can influence the direction and results of research.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To determine whether the hypotheses are supported by the data and to share the results with others in the scientific community.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Economic and environmental factors, such as the lack of practicality in raising pigs for food in nomadic populations living in the Middle East, as well as health concerns.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pigs are not easy to control and herd from place to place, and they require large amounts of water and a wide variety of foods, competing with humans for resources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>2016</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To challenge the strength and credibility of the scientific evidence that identified sugar consumption as a contributor to heart disease.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Trichinosis is an illness caused by parasitic worms that can be found in raw or improperly cooked pork, and it can be prevented by cooking pork properly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Multiple factors, including health concerns, economic, and environmental factors, likely contributed to the development of these laws.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>So that readers can decide on the reliability of the findings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Raising pigs in areas where food and water are scarce can lead to competition between humans and pigs for limited resources.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Television or radio news broadcasts</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Colorful, attractive covers and photographs, and shorter, easier-to-read articles.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because they may have 'conflicts of interest' between reporting the facts and keeping their financial support.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Their affiliations and sources of financial support.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because peer review can only help ensure that the scientists are as ethical and objective as possible.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Not specified in the provided content, but generally to investigate the effects of specific nutrients or dietary factors on health.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It helps readers to assess the credibility and reliability of the research findings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Differences in study design, individual genetic differences, and lifestyle differences between people</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To attract readers and increase sales</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To confirm the results of other studies and increase confidence in the findings</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>They are often based on cultural or religious beliefs, rather than scientific evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because they are not supported by new scientific evidence</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>It often presents findings as conclusive or definitive, when in fact they may be preliminary or flawed</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Through differences in genetic makeup, lifestyle, and response to treatments</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>To provide a forum for scientists to share and critique research findings</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Because one study may not be representative of the larger population or phenomenon being studied</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The scientific method drives the development of new knowledge and the refinement of existing knowledge in nutrition</p> Signup and view all the answers