Summary of the Facts from Celebrities and Science 2011

I always prefer to take advices/suggestions from independent people (or third party) who
do not have the conflict of interest with me. Besides, I seldom agree with the suggestions from those people who have self interest (such as, advertisers, celebrities, business owners and salespeople). Recently, I find one interesting website, http://www.senseaboutscience.org/, that provides lots of advices from independent scientists that reveal the true and the fact in our daily life.

I always curious whether it is necessary to spend so many money to buy the so-called supplements or power food to make our life to be more healthier by boosting our immune system. My previous thought was if they were so useful, why I cannot find any scientific peer review article that published such a big contribution to human health? Besides, more of the so-called functions are simply spreaded by "mouth" instead of written black and white, that makes me more suspicious about their functions.

After reading one of its free accessible publication, that is, "Celebrities and Science 2011", it is worthy to jot down those related in my life here for long term review. I hope the summary will benefit all my visitors as well. For those are interested in, the article is downloadable from the website.

"unless you have a vitamin deficiency, what you eat in food will provide you with the vitamins you need. The absorption of vitamins is very efficient so – apart from people who are very ill or have particular gut problems – nearly all of what you eat is taken up by your body. If you are worried about not getting enough vitamins from food, and cannot change your diet, then vitamin supplements are a simple way to give you reassurance."

Ursula Arens, dietitian, British Dietetic Association

"If you have a real deficiency this is a good way to supplement your intake. But, for anyone else, taking more of a nutrient than you need isn’t necessary or a good thing."

Dr Andrew Wadge, Chief Scientist, Food Standards Agency

"Any non-specific enhancement of immune responses can make you feel better only if something is wrong in the first place."

Professor Peter Lachmann, immunologist

"‘synthetic’ does not automatically mean bad, just as ‘natural’ does not automatically mean safe or beneficial."

Gary Moss, pharmaceutical scientist

"Your body has its own fantastic detox system already in place in the shape of your liver and kidneys. Much better to drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet, get plenty of sleep, and let your body do what it does best!"

Dr Christian Jessen, GP and TV presenter

 

"It is important to differentiate causality from effect. A woman’s foot may be in this position during orgasm, but that does not mean that putting her foot into this position under other circumstances will result in orgasm."

Professor Kevan Wylie, consultant in sexual medicine:

 

"many celebrities who give advice based on their personal opinions rather than being evidence-based, or recycle poor advice given to them by unqualified self-styled ‘gurus’"

Sian Porter, dietitian, British Dietetic Association

Personally, I always heard that in order to "see" or  "feel" the effect of the so-called "power food" or "detox" products, users must drink plenty of water daily as well. So, I was wondering whether simply because you drink plenty of water makes you relatively healthier compared to the time when you drink less water.



Written by: Xaivier Chia

Source: Celebrities and Science 2011
Brief introduction: Sense About Science is a small charity that equips people to make sense of science and evidence. You can send them examples of celebrities speaking about science and medicine: enquiries@senseaboutscience.org.

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