Is there a way to Cope with the Overload of Nutritional and Health Information?

Author: Zall, Robert R.

Source: Current Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 5, Number 3, August 2009 , pp. 223-224(2)

Publisher: Bentham Science Publishers

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Abstract:

INTRODUCTION

It's probably true that unless you keep up with subject matter in your field of expertise you are no longer in the cutting edge of the science. In my case, I seem to cringe in what one can read or hear about nutrition or health as fraud in the market place. Retirement allows me to broaden my interest in food science, related fields, marketing and ethics, thus with these guidelines I offer the following comments.

FOOD SCIENCE

It was not unusual for me to ask in student examinations the question: What is the title of the textbook used in this course? Provide the name of the author or authors and what credentials are offered. Many students thought such questions were unfair and many failed to answer them. It seems to me that if you use a textbook or read a scientific article shouldn't one want to know if the authors are qualified to discuss the subject matter?

When a food scientist with expertise in processing technology or food sanitation starts offering advice in the practice of medicine without a license, I question these actions, as should the consumer of such information. The editor-chief of Public Health Nutrition, Barrie Margetts, wrote in a 2006 editorial 9(2),169-173 that “scientists are privileged and our reputations depend upon trust”. Whenever we find wrongdoing in science, we have a responsibility to speak out.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/157340109789007144

Publication date: 2009-08-01

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Current Nutrition & Food Science publishes frontier reviews on all the latest advances on basic and clinical nutrition and food sciences. The journal's aim is to publish the highest quality review articles dedicated to research in the field. The journal is essential reading for all nutrition and food scientists.