What Can We Learn From The Retraction of the Mediterranean Diet Study? (vox.com)

Remember that landmark 2013 study that found that people on a Mediterranean diet had a 30% lower chance of heart attack, stroke, or death from cardiovascular disease than people on low-fat diets? An anonymous reader quotes Vox: Last June, the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine pulled the original paper from the record, issuing a rare retraction. It also republished a new version [of the PREDIMED study] based on a reanalysis of the data that accounted for the missteps... But after spending several days talking with some of the brightest minds in nutrition research and epidemiology, I now feel the PREDIMED retraction is actually cause for hope -- maybe even a new beginning for the field.

Yes, studies with big flaws pass peer review and make it into high-impact journals, but the record can eventually be corrected because of skeptical researchers questioning things. It's science working as it should, and the PREDIMED takedown is a wonderful example of that. This process should bring us a step closer to what really matters: informing people who want to know how to eat for a healthy life.

Comments

The Imaginary Mediterranean Diet ...

[kbahey]

One thing that irks me, is that the Mediterranean Diet claims that it is based on what people of that area eat.

Well, I am from the Mediterranean (Alexandria, Egypt), and I have to tell you that this diet is not based on reality. If anything, it is highly selective.

Yes, olive oil, nuts, pulses and fruit are part of the diet. But there is also all sorts of chicken, duck, doves, beef, lamb, and fish, mostly cooked in clarified butter (almost the same as the ghee of India).

If you look at Italy, Greece, Turkey, Southern France, and Spain, their cuisine has those claimed magical components, but also plenty of animal products (lamb, beef, pork, goat, rabbit, duck) and animal fat (lard, sheep fat).

And you find the same magical ingredients in countries far away from the Mediterranean, such as Iran, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, ...etc. Lots of nuts, raisins, lentils, beans, and fruit.

So, this Mediterranean diet is imaginary at best, regardless of whether it works or not.

What's good for you today is bad for you tomorrow

[olsmeister]

I don't even pay attention anymore. Just use common sense and you'll be farther ahead than you would be chasing whatever the current recommendations are.

the foods that make me feel best are

[FudRucker]

mostly cereals & vegetables with just a little bit of meat, and not raw vegetables because they can be hard to digest, i like them gently sauteed, i dont stick with any particular diet and just pay attention to my insides and what makes me comfortable and happy when it comes to foods, i stick with fresh fruit & veggies, sometimes frozen, but almost never veggies in a tin can