Chapter 3: Nutrition Claims

Nutritionist

A generic term with no recognized legal or professional meaning. Some people may call themselves nutritionists without having any credible training in nutrition.

Registered Dietitian (RD)

A health professional who has completed at least a bachelor's degree in an accredited university or college in the United States, has completed a supervised practice, and has passed an exam administered by the American Dietetic Association (ADA).

Scientific Method

A process of experimental steps scientists use to generate sound research findings.

Peer-Reviewed Journal

A research journal in which fellow scientists (peers) review studies to assess their accuracy and soundness before publication.

Hypothesis

An idea scientists generate as a tentative explanation for their observations prior to further study and testing.

Licensed dietitian (LD)

An individual who has met specified educational and experience criteria that a state licensing board has deemed necessary to be considered an expert in the field of nutrition. A Registered Dietitian (RD) meets all the qualifications to be an LD.

Public Health Nutritionist

An individual who may have an undergraduate degree in nutrition but isn't a registered dietitian (RD).

True or False: You can get good nutrition advice from anyone who is called a nutritionist.

False. Anyone can call him or herself a nutritionist.

True or False: The scientific method is the process scientists use to design experiments.

False. Conducting an experiment is one step in the scientific method, which is a process used to generate sound research findings.

True or False: Epidemiology is the study of epidemics.

False. Epidemiology is the study of populations.

Placebo

In a research study, a substance or item with no therapeutic value, provided to members of a control group to test it against expectations.

Experimental Research

Research involving at least two groups of subjects.

Observational Research

Research that involves looking at factors in two or more groups of subjects to see if there is a relationship to certain outcomes.

Consensus

The collective opinion of a group of experts based on a body of information.

Quackery

The promotion and selling of health products and services of questionable validity. A quack is a person who promotes these products and services in order to make money.

True or False: Nutrition information reported by national news organizations may not be reliable.

True. News organizations typically report on studies that have just been published. These may be the first studies done on a subject and they can be overturned by later studies. Alternatively, the studies' results can be influenced by researcher bias, design errors, or other problems.

The first step of the scientific method is to __________. a) make observations and ask questions b) to form a hypothesis c) do an experiment d) develop a theory

a) make observations and ask questions

You decide to have your diet assessed and be counseled by a nutrition professional because you want to lose weight. Which of the following individuals would be the most credible source of information? a) an employee of your local health food store b) your personal trainer at the gym c) a registered dietitian d) a nutritionist

c) a registered dietitian

Double-Blind, Placebo-controlled study

A study designed in such a way that neither the study participants nor the experimenters know to whom a treatment is given.

True or False: Nutrition information on the internet is bogus.

Not necessarily! There are plenty of websites by government agencies, universities, and health care organizations that provide accurate, reliable, information about nutrition.

In scientific research, a consensus is___________. a) an idea generated by scientists based on their observations. b) an opinion of a group of experts based on a collection of scientific information. c) a commonly agreed-upon set of facts about an observed phenomenon. d) a process used to generate data to support a theory.

b) an opinion of a group of experts based on a collection of scientific information.

Which of the following would be a reliable source of nutrition information? a) an article discussing toxins in commercial coffee beans that is written by an importer of organic coffees. b) an article citing a recently published study on the effectiveness of coral calcium on a site run by a producer of coral calcium supplements. c) an article about rickets written by a physician and published on his professional website, accompanied by an advertisement for vitamin D supplements. d) None of the above

d) None of the above

When exploring a website that provides nutrition and health information, which of the following should you look at to assess its content? a) who wrote it b) when it was written c) when it was last updated d) all of the above

d) all of the above