240: Obesity Research: Rigor, Reproducibility & Truthful Communication – Dr. David Allison

Nutrition and obesity-related research are scientific topics which should be executed with the same degree of rigor, transparency, and truthful communication as in any other area of science.

However, this type of research may be weaker than it should be due to flaws in the types of questions asked, the design of studies, the execution of studies, the analysis of resulting data, the interpretation and communication of studies and results. This weakens the overall quality of the literature and may lead to heightened distrust of nutrition science, which has been shown to be more severe than for other domains of inquiry.

Tune into this episode to learn about:

·       an overview of various aspects of research including selection of questions, design of studies, execution of studies, analysis of data, and interpretation and communication of findings

·       the quality of existing obesity related research and challenges regarding this type of research in general

·       examples of where research has gone wrong and suggestions for improvement

·       what the evidence for obesity treatment and prevention shows and suggestions for prioritizing next steps, future research and treatments

·       why evidence in the field of nutrition and obesity-related research seems to be more often distorted and distrusted

·       specific steps to make obesity research more rigorous, probative, valuable, and more transparently and truthfully communicated

Full shownotes and resources at: https://soundbitesrd.com/240