This news release speculates that a study in rats shows a new weight loss implant is superior to existing weight loss devices used in humans. That’s jumping ahead of the evidence.
This release needed a strong caution that observations made in tissue samples and mice don’t always translate to human outcomes.
While probiotics have been a popular focus of research in recent years, the claim that they could help millions with bipolar disease is unwarranted.
The release claims the diet “significantly improved blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol, mood and cognitive function” but doesn’t provide any numbers to allow readers to gauge the size of improvement.
This news release did a good job of explaining how the study was done but didn’t provide data on benefits, costs, or harms.
All missing from this news release: benefits, harms, how it compares to other methods to treat aneurysms, cost, and if it’s available beyond one hospital.
The news release suggests results from lung tests in infants can predict future lung health. But the research can’t yet tell us that vitamin c use in pregnancy will result in any changes in lung health later on.
Follow-up studies are needed to confirm these results in more patients across a range of different cancers.
This news release offers no caution about harms nor the fact that benefits found in animal studies seldom translate to humans.
News release lacks clarity on benefits, harms, costs, and availability of the procedure.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
Many of the principles that we promoted to journalists and to the general public from 2006-18 are embodied in this terrific project based in Oslo. https://t.co/KO1o9JTYK7
Following a shift in journalism’s business model, a diverse ecosystem of publications, many covering science, has sprung up online. This has made it more difficult to sort out what qualifies as journalism, what doesn’t, and whether the public even cares.
https://t.co/qO2a27FiSe
Researchers and journalists do the public a grave disservice when they spin health study results to make them appear safer or more effective than warranted, says @HealthNewsRevu founder @garyschwitzer https://t.co/QIKsRbP6Ed
Tips & Resources for Analyzing Health Care Claims
