The Dogma of Nutrition
In todays age two of the most valuable and destructive tools at our disposal are the internet and social media; they’re both a well-spring of information and a sinkhole of half-truths, hidden agendas, and horrendous science. In our face at every turn, morning, noon, and night they’ve become our Dr.’s, dieticians, personal trainers, lifestyle coaches and personal gurus. The internet has become the scientific ‘Wild West’ of counterfactual claims and personal attacks – the study of nutrition is no exception. Overtly dogmatic at times, many vegans, paleo practitioners, ketosis advocates, and carnivores brandish their pistols and leave little room for purposeful discussion or nuance, leaving the average bear like you and me where exactly? Sifting through the weeds and separating fact from fiction, that’s where.
The study of nutrition is in its infancy, it’s less than 100 years old and derives most of its conclusions from inference and conjecture. Nutrition scientists make assumptions based on disease patterns from one generation to the next, trying to match food consumption with correlation to disease - commonly known as epidemiology. The problem, however, is the method itself, it’s neither testable nor repeatable - the cornerstone of scientific inquiry. In addition, aside from what we eat; when we eat; how much we eat and how we ate in the past; our familial genetics; our sex; our age; our ethnicity; our exercise patterns; past and present levels of stress; the amount and quality of our sleep; when we sleep; illness; past and present exposure to antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and prescription medications; hormone imbalances; the current state of our gut biome and exposure to environmental toxins . . . altogether influence how our body reacts to food - it’s a laundry list of confounding factors.
To date all we can say with absolute certainty is: 1. Human’s energy requirements are fulfilled by what are called macro nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, all best sourced from whole foods 2. There’re a host of minerals, vitamins, and micronutrients found in foods that are essential and life sustaining (sodium, potassium, niacin, B12 are a few prime examples) 3. Refined sugars, alcohol, and processed foods are more or less toxic – full stop. How these foods are consumed and it what quantities is unique to each individual and requires careful consideration for optimizing individual health. I hate to be the doomsday prophesier but there are no quick dietary fixes our magic pills, the path forward is listening to your body, do what works for you, and to treat food for what it is – medicine.
For anyone looking for a deeper dive into the complexity of Nutrition study I highly recommend the following articles, linked below, written by Dr. Peter Attia – he articulates the subject with complete understanding and thoughtful consideration.
Take Care.
Snell
UNDERSTANDING SCIENCE & NUTRITION
· Studying Studies: Part I – relative risk vs. absolute risk. https://peterattiamd.com/ns001/
· Studying Studies: Part II – observational epidemiology. https://peterattiamd.com/ns002/
· Studying Studies: Part III – the motivation for observational studies https://peterattiamd.com/ns003/
· Is ditching meat a “game changer: for your health? https://peterattiamd.com/191027/
· The red meat and plant based recommendation wars https://peterattiamd.com/the-red-meat-and-plant- based-recommendation-wars/
· Red meat, cancer, push-ups, and CVD. https://peterattiamd.com/red-meat-cancer-push-ups-and-cvd/