| Happy Sunday, everyone. I have to get this down on paper (newsletter). For today's Sunday with Sisson, I'm going to do a little rant. Maybe even a little rave. We'll see how it develops. I linked to this on New and Noteworthy but wanted to expand on it: It was a study where researchers took a look at the raw data on the relationship between linoleic acid levels in the blood (that's the omega-6 fat found in seed oils, a polyunsaturated fatty acid) and hypertension. According to the raw data, people with hypertension had the highest levels of blood linoleic acid. Since blood linoleic acid correlates strongly with linoleic acid intake, these people were likely eating the most linoleic acid. So, sounds simple right? "Eating linoleic acid and having greater levels of it in the blood is linked to higher blood pressure." Done and done. Except no. Because you see, that's the "raw data." The raw data cannot be trusted. Instead, you must adjust the raw data depending on different variables. You must massage the data until it gives you the result you expect and desire. They say "raw data" but it's not data, it's reality. This is the situation as it is. Raw data is a way to envision what exists in front of our eyes, in front of our faces, what you see staring you plain in the face. Whenever we walk around and exist in the real world, we are dealing with raw data. The adjusted data no longer represents the individual people in the study. They took the characteristics of the people and "adjusted them" higher or lower and then looked at what the relationship "should be." In other words, they created a series of hypotheticals while ignoring what actually happened in reality: people who had the most linoleic acid in their blood had the highest blood pressure. This happens all the time. Watch out for it, and call it out when you see it. I know I will. This is my wheelhouse. It's something I notice that people who don't read studies or think about health research will ever really consider. What do you know better than most people? What insider info do you have about things that most people are missing? Let me know in the comment section of New and Noteworthy. | 