Chapter 2

registered dietitian requirements

1. bachelor's degree 2. supervised practice program 3. pass national registration exam 4. continue education

nutrition questions

1. what motivates the authors, promoters, sponsors that provide the info? 2. who is the source? 3. what is the source?

prospective cohort study

a group of initially healthy people are followed over a time period and any diseases that eventually develop are recorded

peer review

critical analysis of an article about a study submitted to a journal that is conducted by a group of investigators who were not part of the study but are experts in the subject matter - editors of the journal choose the peers - avoid biases - objective and honest - many are supported financially by federal government, non profits, drug companies, private industries - usually disclose affiliations and sources of financial support - results match that of many

intervention

experimental studies using live subjects to test a hypothesis

confounders

factors that were not being studies but could have influenced the outcomes of the research

framingham heart study

over 5200 healthy participants went through physical exams and questions about their family, personal medical histories and lifestyle practices. still collecting info from the original participants

anecdotes

personal reports

hypothesis

possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question

retrospective cohort study

researchers collect info about a group's past exposures and identify current health outcomes

cohort study

study in which epidemiologists collect and analyze various kinds of information about a large group of people over time - making associations between exposure to a specific factor and the subsequent development of health conditions

epidemiology

the study of the occurrence, distribution, and causes of health problems in populations - conduct physical exams and surveys

nutrition red flags

1. promises of quick and easy remedies 2. claims that sound too good to be true 3. scare tactics 4. attacks on conventional scientists and nutrition experts 5. testimonials and anecdotes 6. promotes benefits while overlooking risks 7. vague, meaningless, scientific-sounding terms 8. vague sources 9. pseudoscience: the presentation of info masking as factual and scientific 10. disclaimers

NHANES

National Health and Nutrition Examination Suvey survey that uses interviews and physical exams to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the US

variable

a factor that can change and influence an outcome of a study

case-control study

study in which individuals with health conditions such as heart disease or breast cancer are matched to persons with similar characteristics who do not have the condition (controls)

pellagra

widespread disease in the US 1900s where individuals had scaly skin sores, were weak, and developed diarrhea and mental confusion; results from a lack of niacin