The Science of Nutrition Ch. 1 and Highlight 1 Study of nutrients & substances in food and body’s handling of them Nutritional Genomics… Study of how nutrients affect activities of genes and how genes affect interactions between diet & disease The science of nutrition is the study of nutrients and other substances in foods and the body’s handling of them. It’s a young science but its experiencing tremendous growth at this time, in part due to nutrigenomics, or nutritional genomics. This is the science of how nutrients affect the activities of genes and how genes affect the interactions between diet and disease (see Highlight 6).

Conducting Research Consumers use personal experiences or reports from friends for nutritional info Called anecdotal information Not reliable scientific info Researchers use the Scientific Method While we, as consumers, may rely on personal experience or anecdotes from friends to gather information on nutrition, researchers use the scientific method.

Scientific Method

Nutrition and the Scientific Method Ask a question. Identify your hypothesis - educated guess as to the answer to your question. Test your hypothesis via research - data collection Interpret your data Generalize/Summarize findings While we, as consumers, may rely on personal experience or anecdotes from friends to gather information on nutrition, researchers use the scientific method. Research always begins with a problem or a question. For example, “What foods or nutrients might protect against the common cold?” Researchers then make a hypothesis such as, “Foods rich in vitamin C reduce the number of common colds.” Then they collect data to see if the hypothesis is true, analyze the data, and then generalize and summarize their findings in the discussion section.

Research Terminology Subjects: People/animals participating in research Sample Size: The larger the amount of subjects tested the more valid (better) your results Less is left to chance (chance variation is reduced)

Research Terms Continued.. Replication: Before results of a study are considered acceptable, the experiment must be repeated by another researcher and similar results must be obtained Peer Review: Before findings are published, other scientists evaluate the study to ensure the scientific method was correctly followed. Peer-review: Reviewers critique the study’s hypothesis, methodology, statistical significance, and conclusions They note the funding sources, recognizing that financial support may bias scientific conclusions

Primary Research What is Primary Research? Detailed written account of the research findings. Primary Research follows the Scientific Method for research. What is a Secondary Source of research? A brief, written account of someone else’s research. Usually a short summary of research to help support their position on a topic.

How do you know it’s Primary Research? Written by the people who did the research. Written description of study found in a Scholarly, Peer Reviewed Journal. A magazine published for those working in that type of field or industry. Examples include: Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics (formerly JADA) Contains Subheadings that follow the Scientific Method. Contains abstract (quick synopsis of research to allow for easy scanning of article) Contains Subheadings: Introduction, Subjects, Methods, Data/Research Findings/Results, Discussion Lists references at end used by researchers to support their hypothesis and conclusions.

Table 1-3 p16

Finding Primary Research Students should find primary research at the Library!! You can access the Library Databases online or in person: Library Periodicals http://www.yvcc.edu Another online option- PubMed via online search PubMed Home Often does not have the full text article to read

Criteria for Good, Scientific Nutrition Information - NOT Primary Articles contain no paid advertising Articles clearly list references and who is providing the information Author/source is creditable Info comes from those working in the field of study or field closely associated with it (RDN) Author’s credentials can be easily accessed

Criteria for Good, Scientific Nutrition Information - NOT Primary Author(s) may cite studies to support argument or topic Best websites come from .gov, .org, or .edu

What is Questionable, Possibly Unreliable Secondary Info? Non-scientific sources Sells advertising or product(s) Is there a financial interest in you getting this info? Source of information not provided or source is not reputable or scientific

What is Questionable, Possibly Unreliable Secondary Info? Non-scientific sources Author is not credible or doesn’t have any specific specialty/education regarding topic Uses anecdotal evidence (testimonies) vs. scientific research Example: I lost weight, so can you….

Red Flags of Quackery

To Read: Please read Highlight 1 in your book for more information Pg 33 lists many websites that are credible sources of nutrition info These will also be helpful for Project #2