How not to describe how not to do science

[firecat]

Elsenet, folks were sharing our opinions of an article describing a scientific study of rats, food, and activity:

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/13869/20140405/diet-induced-obesity-makes-you-lazy-study.htm
Warning, before following the link, you might want to turn off image loading in your browser. There's a super obnoxious photograph.
Also, it was reported that the page has pop-up ads. I use an ad blocker so I didn't notice.

So here's what I understand from the article:

Fat rat fed on a diet high in sugar (*stops pressing lever*): "I get a lot of sweets in my diet, so I don't want any more of the sweets I get when I press this lever. Imma go check Facebook."

Scientist: "This rat isn't hungry. That means its brain isn't working right."

Lean rat fed on a diet low in sugar (*keeps pressing lever*): "I've been deprived of sugar for months now. More, more!"

Scientist: "This rat has a good work ethic and strong character."

Benita Matilda (article writer, and nominee for Science Writer Non-sequitur Champion of the Year): "Junk food makes humans hungrier."

Meanwhile:

Other Scientists: "Hey, there are some studies over here of actual humans! They suggest that humans on low-calorie diets experience cognitive impairments! Anyone want to read these studies?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/22/business/the-mental-strain-of-making-do-with-less.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/02/inbrief.aspx [second item]

Obesity Researchers (*sticking fingers in ears*): "LA LA LA LA LA"

Comments

[thnidu]

(Also, the page is booby-trapped all over with popup ads.)

[firecat]

Oh dear. I use an ad blocker so I didn't notice.

[lilacsigil]

Ugh, ugh, ugh. I'm not going to the article, but thank you for summarising this sterling piece of research.

[wordweaverlynn]

Well, of course the obesity researchers are going "LA LA LA LA." They're all too hungry to think.

I am reminded of the infamous witch test. An accused witch was bound and thrown into deep water. If she sank, she was innocent (though probably drowned). If she floated, she was a witch and should be burned.

[firecat]

LOL! These days, if she floats, her body fat percentage is too high.

[silveradept]

Oh, Great Maker. That's... anything in the service of trying to convince people of the reality of DeathFats, I guess. It's not like the body needs a certain amount of energy intake to function properly, or anything.

[firecat]

Didn't you know? We're perpetual motion machines.

[silveradept]

Sometimes I wonder what our lives would be like if we could make sugar via photosynthesis in addition to consumption...

[wild_irises]

I find Lynne Murray's concept of the faith sentence incredibly useful when I think about experiments like this.

(I know that firecat knows that Body Impolitic is a blog I write with Laurie Toby Edison, but I mention it here anyway for disclosure.)

[firecat]

So true!

[megpie71]

Okay, the writer of the "Diet Induced Obesity" article needs to find themselves a beta reader, stat. They also need to take lessons in copying and pasting, since they've clearly not mastered that particular skill. Fortunately, they provided a link to the press release they were attempting to summarise/plagiarise, so I read that instead.

The interesting bits in the press release are actually toward the end:

"Blaisdell, 45, changed his diet more than five years ago to eat "what our human ancestors ate." He avoids processed food, bread, pasta, grains and food with added sugar. He eats meats, seafood, eggs, vegetables and fruits, and he has seen dramatic improvements in his health, both physically and mentally.

"I've noticed a big improvement in my cognition," he said. "I'm full of energy throughout the day, and my thoughts are clear and focused." " (from http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-04/uoc--daj040414.php)

Methinks I smell an evangelist in the making - or at the very least, a lead researcher who started from his conclusion that a "healthy" diet as he's defining it works best, and designed an experiment to support rather than challenge that hypothesis. So yeah. Not good science. It's also interesting the way the end of the press release has this expert in animal cognition pontificating on human diet and nutrition.

Pass the salt, I need a pinch to accompany the research.

[firecat]

I'm brined over here.

[jesse_the_k]

Yet again you take the sword of clear thinking and cleave bad-science-writing in the sugar-deprived gut.

Also, the Brine: the Journal of Better Tech Writing sounds like a promising title.

[firecat]

That's going to the top of the list of possible names for my science blog, should I ever get around to starting one.