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Author Topic:   Cholesterol - A Real Example of Scientists Misleading the Public or Just More Bunk?
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 4 of 9 (258652)
11-10-2005 5:46 PM
Reply to: Message 1 by Jazzns
11-10-2005 4:03 PM


Bypassing peer review
Several comments:
(1) I am skeptical of the researcher's conclusions. That does not make them wrong. But I would suggest that others be cautious.
(2) This is not completely new. I remember reading an article with similar claims, perhaps different evidence, more than 40 years ago. If I remember correctly, it was in the Saturday Evening Post.
(3) The researcher appears to have a strong research record. I am basing this only on the web page linked in the OP. If I were a medical researcher, I might want to investigate the accuracy of that information. As it happens, I don't have any expertise in the area, so at present I am willing to tentatively accept the researcher's own claim as to his research record.
What is wrong here, is that the researcher has decided to go straight to the press without going through the normal peer review process. This is not unlike what Pons and Fleischman did a few years ago.
I can understand why he may have decided to bypass peer review. He has undoubtely been receiving a very skeptical reception by his peers. This was surely very frustrating.
The peer review system is conservative and therefore slow. This is usually desirable. In the case of medical research, the conservatism is particularly important, for we are dealing with what might affect the lives of many people.

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 Message 1 by Jazzns, posted 11-10-2005 4:03 PM Jazzns has replied

Replies to this message:
 Message 5 by Jazzns, posted 11-10-2005 6:36 PM nwr has replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 6 of 9 (258671)
11-10-2005 7:53 PM
Reply to: Message 5 by Jazzns
11-10-2005 6:36 PM


Re: Bypassing peer review
The issues have long been controversial. I don't doubt that the ideas Ravnskov supports have appeared in professional journals for decades.
The main reason I'm skeptical, is because I am aware that there have been large scale epidemiological studies which have given pretty conclusive evidence on the effects of cholesterol, and the health benefits of dietary change and of cholesterol reducing drugs.
It might still be that for a particular individual, it is uncertain whether cholesterol reduction will help. But, as I understand it, if 100 people reduce cholesterol, then this will cause a significant reduction in heart disease within that group.
Note that I have no training in medicine, and you should not take my word for it. I do expect that details of these studies can be found on the internet.

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 Message 7 by nator, posted 11-10-2005 8:09 PM nwr has replied

  
nwr
Member
Posts: 6408
From: Geneva, Illinois
Joined: 08-08-2005
Member Rating: 5.1


Message 8 of 9 (258680)
11-10-2005 8:28 PM
Reply to: Message 7 by nator
11-10-2005 8:09 PM


Re: Bypassing peer review
Isn't it actually saturated fat in the diet, rather than dietary cholesterol, that raises blood cholesterol?
Apparently I was ambiguous. My reference to "cholesterol reduction" was intended to refer to blood cholesterol reduction. I wasn't commenting on cholesterol in the diet.
My understanding is that saturated fat intake is a problem. But maybe plain overeating can also raise blood cholesterol.

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 Message 7 by nator, posted 11-10-2005 8:09 PM nator has not replied

  
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