Transcript Title - Family and Consumer Science

Evaluating Nutrition Information
Presented by
Janice Hermann, PhD, RD/LD
OCES Adult and Older Adult Nutrition Specialist
Evaluating Nutrition Information
 Consumers are faced with an overwhelming
amount of nutrition information.
 Difficult to distinguish valid information
from misinformation.
 Nutrition misinformation can fuel food
faddism, health fraud or misdirected claims.
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Food Faddism
 Unreasonable or exaggerated beliefs that
foods or supplements may cure disease,
have special health benefits, or promote
weight loss.
 Any people promoting food fads may also be
victims of misinformation.
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Health Fraud
 Similar to food faddism, except it is deliberate
and done for financial gain.
 Promotion of a product to improve health,
well-being or appearance for financial gain
that doesn’t work or hasn’t been proved to
work.
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Misdirected Claims
 Claims that cause consumers to make
incorrect conclusions about the health
benefits of food.
 Claims mislead consumers to believe foods
are more healthful than they are.
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Contributing Factors
 Shift in nutrition research from preventing
deficiencies to preventing diseases.
 Consumers taking an increased role in their
health care and actively seeking food and
nutrition information.
 Often looking for simple, convenient, lowcost solutions.
 Encourage opportunities for nutrition
misinformation leaving consumers
vulnerable.
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Contributing Factors
 In crease in older population.
 Up to 60% of victims are older adults.
 Increasing illness and desperation.
 Increase is overweight.
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Contributing Factors
 Placebo effect
 25 to 30% respond to a placebo.
 Promoters sue to intimidate.
 Differences in laws regulating supplements
and drugs.
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Dietary Supplement Labeling
 The Dietary Supplement Health and
Education Act (DSHEA) set up the frame work
for FDA regulation of dietary supplements.
 FDA’s pre-market review of dietary
supplements is less than that for foods or
drugs.
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What Is A Dietary Supplement
 DSHEA broadened the definition of
supplements to any product intended for
ingestion as a supplement to the diet.
 Vitamins & Minerals
 Protein & Amino Acids
 Herbs & Botanicals
 Other Plant-Derived Substances
 Metabolites, constituents and extracts
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Dietary Supplements Are Not
 Dietary supplements are not drugs.
 A drug is an article that is intended to diagnose,
cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent diseases.
 Drugs must undergo clinical studies to
determine their effectiveness, safety and
possible interactions.
 FDA approve drugs before they are marketed.
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Monitoring For Safety
 Food ingredients and drugs undergo strict
pre-market safety testing and approval.
 Dietary supplements to not have to go
through FDA pre-market approval.
 Once on the market FDA has to show a
supplement is unsafe before it can take
action to restrict it if a problem occurs.
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Understanding Claims
 Under DSHEA dietary supplements are
allowed to use three types of claims.
 Nutrient-content claims
 Disease claims
 Nutrition support claims
 Structure-function claims
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Structure-Function Claims
 Manufacturers can use structure-function
claims without FDA approval.
 Structure-function claims must be
accompanied with the disclaimer “This
statement has not been evaluated by the
Food and Drug Administration. This product
is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or
prevent any disease.”
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Consequences of Nutrition Misinformation
 Delay or failure to seek proper health care.
 Interference with sound nutrition education
and practices.
 Undesirable drug-nutrient interactions.
 Toxic components in products.
 Financial loss
 Loss of trust
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Sources of Information
 Media leading source of nutrition information
 Magazines (47%)
 Television (34%)
 Books (29%)
 Newspapers (28%)
 Doctors (31%)
 Internet (21%)
 Product labels (19%)
 Families and Friends (18%)
 Dietitians (13%)
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Misinterpretation of Scientific Studies
 Media often exploits preliminary research
findings to increase readership.
 Research findings are often turned into sales
pitches and products before enough
evidence is available to make
recommendations to the general public.
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Misinterpretation of Scientific Studies
 Media reports rarely provide enough
information for consumers to adequately
interpret the advise given
 Often fail to report details about how much
more or less of a food to eat, how often to eat
a food, and to whom the advise applies are
omitted.
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Misinterpretation of Scientific Studies
 Four common types of inaccuracy in media
reports
 Reporting a correlation as causation
 Generalizing a study’s results to a broader
population
 Exaggerating size of the effect
 Using a single link in a chain of events to make
predictions
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Internet Sources of Misinformation
 Internet is becoming a major source of
nutrition information.
 Accuracy of information on the Internet is not
governed by any regulatory agency.
 E-mail results in rapid widespread
dissemination of misinformation.
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Valid Nutrition Information
 Nutrition recommendations for the general
public are not made on the basis of one study.
 Valid nutrition information results from
agreement of peer reviewed scientific studies
that can be replicated.
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Freedom Of Speech
 Just because something is printed or sold,
doesn’t make it valid.
 FDA regulates claims on product labels.
 Limited in what they can do about fraudulent
nutrition information due to constitutional rights
of freedom of speech and press.
 Nutrition information, whether valid or not, has
the same right to freedom of speech under the
first amendment as any other information.
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"Caveat Emptor“ Let the Buyer Beware
 Question the qualifications of authors or
promoters.
 Critically evaluate the validity of nutritional
information, particularly if it is used to
promote the sale of a product.
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W’s For Evaluating Nutrition Information
 Who? Who is providing the information? Is it a
qualified professional.
 When? When was the information last updated?
Nutrition is an ever changing science.
 Where? Where is the information coming from? A
government agency, a professional organization, a
reputable consumer organization.
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W’s For Evaluating Nutrition Information
 Why? Why are they giving you the
information? Is it a public service or are they
selling a product?
 What? What is the message? Is it in line with
other reliable sources?
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Knowledge: The Best Protection
 Knowledge is the best protection against
nutrition misinformation.
 Consumers need to be able to recognize
nutrition misinformation before they waste
their money or endanger their life
 Consumers need to become aware of the
language of nutrition misinformation.
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Question Products and Materials That:
 Claims that promise a quick fix.
 Claims made on the basis of one study.
 Provide a list of “good” and “bad” foods
 Use pseudo-medical terms and jargon such as
“energize,” “natural,” “cure,” “detoxify,”
“purify” or “cleanse.”
 Claim product “secret cure” or “magic.”
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Question Products and Materials That:
 Claim “natural” is better.
 Claim food processing and storage destroy
all the nutrients in food.
 Claim soil depleted of nutrients.
 Claim food additives and preservatives are
poison.
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Question Products and Materials That:
 Claim emotional stress increases nutrient
needs beyond what foods can provide.
 Claim products from health-food stores are
better than those from regular grocery
stores.
 Opposed to public health strategies such as
fluoridation or vaccinations against
infectious diseases.
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Question Products and Materials That:
 Use unproven diagnostic tests to detect
nutritional deficiencies.
 Claim sugar is a poison.
 Claim medical profession is not to be trusted
and suppressing treatment.
 Claim product has only benefits and no side
effects.
 Claim to “cure” serious diseases
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Question Products and Materials That:
 Claim product can be used for multiple health
problems.
 Promote self diagnosis or diagnose nutritional
deficiencies based on symptoms alone.
 Uses “star” endorsements or “big name”
testimonials.
 Promotes vitamin and/or mineral doses larger
than the DRI.
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Right To Evaluate
 People have the right to evaluate nutrition
claims, products and services.
 Don’t buy immediately. If a claim, product or
service is legitimate it will hold up to
evaluation.
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Credible Nutrition Information Sources
 Government agencies that provide reliable
nutrition and health information include:
 State Cooperative Extension Services
 Federal Trade Commission
 US Department of Health and Human Services
 Food and Drug Administration
 US Department of Agriculture
 National Institutes of Health
 National Cancer Institute
 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
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Credible Nutrition Information Sources
 Scientific and professional organizations that
offer credible nutrition information to the
public include:
 American Dietetic Association
 American Academy of Pediatrics
 American Institute of Nutrition
 American Society for Clinical Nutrition
 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior
 American Medical Association
 American Cancer Society
 American Diabetes Association
 American Heart Association
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Credible Nutrition Information Sources
 Reputable consumer organizations include:
 Better Business Bureau
 Industry groups that provide reputable
nutrition information to the public include:
 International Food Information Council
 Food Marketing Institute
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Websites for Nutrition Misinformation
 Check out health-related hoaxes and rumors:
 www.cdc.gov/hoax_rumors.htm
 www.urbanlegends.com/ulz
 www.ncahf.org
 www.quackwatch.com
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References
 Position of the American Dietetic Association: Food and
Nutrition Misinformation. JADA;2006;106,601-607.
 Stephen Barrett & Victor Herbert. Twenty-Five Ways to
Spot Quacks and Vitamin Pushers, www.quackwatch.com.
Accessed January 2007.
 Understanding Nutrition, 10th edition by Ellie Whitney &
Sharon R Rolfes. Thomson Wadsworth, 2005. Thomson
Wadsworth Publishers.
 Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition, 7th edition by
Sharon R Rolfes, Kathryn Pinna & Ellie Whitney, 2006.
Thomson Wadsworth Publishers.
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