Stark-Billings County

 

April 14, 2009

Finding the Truth

We are bombarded with information about nutrition and health. Radio, television, print advertisements, e-mail and the Internet provides us with the information. With all this information available to us, how do we separate fact from fiction? What are the clues to reliable health information in today's fast-paced world?

There are means for you to explore a few popular nutrition information sources and ways to determine if information is reliable. For more information, contact your local county office of the NDSU Extension Service and request your copy of "Finding the Truth" (FN- 569) or visit http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/foods.html for a copy of it and other nutrition publications.

Can I trust nutrition information in my favorite magazine?

Magazines are popular sources of nutrition information. The American Council on Science and Health reported the reliability of representative articles in 20 popular magazines published in the last several years. It judged the overall content of factual information, objective presentation of the information and recommendations. The magazines received overall ratings of "excellent," "good" or "poor" based on just a sample of the nutrition articles, not all their articles.

Should I believe what I read about foods and dietary supplements on advertisements? Can I believe food labels?

Ads and food labels have different purposes. The goal of advertising is to sell a product. Food labels are meant to inform consumers what=B4s in a particular food. Advertisements for diet, fitness and health products are overseen by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Food labels, including Nutrition Facts labels and health claims are regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Any statement listed on a food package must meet the guidelines of the FDA.

Let your physician know that you're taking, because some supplements interact with medications. For vitamin/mineral supplements, read the "Supplement Facts" labels. Most nutrition professionals advise staying at 100 percent of the daily recommendations. Visit the Web site, www.consumerlab.com an independent testing company that provides information about many popular supplements.

Should I trust "E-mail Scares"? What are some clues?

If you use e-mail, you probably have received more than a few unsolicited advertisements about nutrition or health products. They may even sound a little "scary." E-mail scares and hoaxes often give the appearance of credibility by citing organizations with impressive names, doctors, researchers and lots of medical/scientific jargon. Often the e-mails feature CAPITAL letters and lots of punctuation! Use the same guidelines as other forms of media when judging the reliability of the message.

For more information about food additives, visit the FDA Web site: www.fda.gov 

How reliable is the information of Web sites?

It depends. With billions of Web sites in cyberspace, a search for a particular health-related topic may result in hundreds of "hits." It is difficult to decipher trustworthy information from quackery. Sometimes, the URL suffix (examples are ".gov" used by many government agencies or ".edu" used by many educational institutions) gives an indication of the reliability of the information. Web sites with a ".com" suffix are sometimes reliable organization sites and sometimes purely commercial.

Ask these questions as you explore nutrition and health information found in any form:

	Who is the author? What are his or her credentials? * Is a credible sponsoring institution identified?
	What is the purpose of the information? Is the site promoting or selling a particular product?
	Is the information based on scientific research or opinion?
	Is a date listed? How current is the information?
	Are there links to other sources of information? (This sometimes provides a clue to reliability, but not always. Anyone can link to another organization's Web site.)
	Are the facts documented with sound scientific references? Or, is the information solely based on personal testimonials?
	Is there an editorial board that oversees the content?
	Is the information well-written in terms of grammar and spelling? What is the tone of the writing? Does it take a balanced approach?

 

Whom do I trust to provide accurate information?

Consulting a "nutritionist" doesn't necessarily mean you're getting reliable nutrition information, It's easy to get a "fake degree" in nutrition, and most states allow anyone to use the title "nutritionist." The person using the title may have no formal academic courses in nutrition. Often you just have to pay a fee to get a "certificate."

A person with the title, "licensed nutritionist" (LN), however, has completed specific academic course work and met other licensure requirements to use the title. Licensed nutritionists in North Dakota also have to meet continuing education requirements.

Registered dietitians (RDs) complete an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution with courses in nutrition, food science and many other subjects, complete internship hours and pass a national exam.