I just read in a punch newspaper of Monday, Oct 19, 2015 in their Healthwise segment, a brief article on how chocolate being good for heart health. I was attracted to it not really because I am a die-hard fan of chocolate (though I love it) but because it was a health topic and being a nutritionist.

I read the piece line after line and kept exclaiming Aha! My eyes popping like I was watching a horror movie. The climax of my surprise was when the article recommended chocolate to people on a long flight as it has loads of health benefit. I scanned quickly to see who wrote the article and saw that they referenced www.coffeeloversofworld.com

And I was, Oh! I see! Who else would have written such an article? If you do not know, in the world of science, while research is the basis for making conclusions, you should not believe every word of a research even if it was carried out by expert scientists and published in a journal. If you are familiar with research writing, you will know that before a research can be widely adopted, it has to be peer reviewed by other scientists. Another issue is conflict of interests. Researchers are also obliged to state if there could have been any conflict of interest in the research.

Let me explain what that means. Since a lot of money is required for research, funding has to come from somewhere, so sometimes, sugar companies (i.e. Coca Cola) fund research on sugar. Statistics have shown that more than 70% of such researches funded by sugar companies seem to prove that excess sugar does not cause obesity. Meanwhile, about that same percentage of research not funded by sugar power-houses conclude that excess sugar is a major cause of obesity.

Are you getting the gist yet? Companies lobby scientist to do research that will end up in their favour. So that should tell you to be wary of the research you read up on the internet.

Science had proven that chocolate is high on calories and if not well managed and eaten in moderation can cause serious health issues. However, we know that the flavonoids in chocolate can have health benefits. Health recommendations by professionals advice for moderate consumption of chocolate as they are mostly empty calories with as much as one bar of chocolate containing up to 300 – 400 calories (as much as 10% -20% of your daily caloric need). So if we take this advice we will eat less of chocolate and this is dwindling profit for coffee lovers, and chocolate companies. So it becomes plain why research into ‘chocolate is good for health’ would be in the interest of some groups just like sugar.

So having said all that, let’s talk a bit a bit about the research itself. From my own research of the studies, while the researchers found some lowered risk in a population study, they categorically warned that it does not prove chocolate makes you healthier. In addition most of the studies proving so are observational studies in which the participants were asked questions about their eating habit, then had their health tracked and the researchers made statistical connections While, these kinds of studies can generate important insights, they do not prove cause and effect. So the problem with the article published by the newspaper gotten from a website that can be biased on that topic is that it was one sided. It does not give a full picture of the situation. In this case, the website or probably the newspaper did not disclose all of the information.
So, my conclusion about the research is that you do not need to worry too much if you only consume chocolate moderately and if you are not obese. Cocoa from which chocolate is made has flavonoids but it will not make sense to decide to consume loads of chocolate to protect your health.

Looking at the issues I have raised from a blogging perspective, some bloggers are not blogging from passion, they blog as a money making venture and so seek to drive traffic and make profit from advertising. This is not a problem as I have a blog too myself. The problem is some bloggers go to any length to make their profits and publish false news if need be. More so, some bloggers even do a ‘good job’ of twisting the truth or giving one side of the story. The source said one thing, ‘internet copiers’ twist the information or give half of it. Journalists really have to convince me it is not a journalism ‘thing’- telling your favourable side of the story. Don’t forget a blog or website is not an expert source even if you read “experts said that…”. There is something called ‘evidence based information’ and there many reasons why some experts publish some articles. They have been paid to do so…its broadly called ‘marketing’. As this article is getting too long, I will leave that for another day.

Long story short; don’t believe everything you read on the internet. Verify the source. If it is entertainment news about how one bank Managing Director was caught pants down, well, maybe you can manage to believe it. But when it is an health issue, Abeg! Consult a health professional who has been adequately trained. Use the internet just to get a general knowledge about the topic but do not make your conclusions until you seek expert advice. Finally, dear newspaper editors, there are many experts out there willing to write for you. Use them.

Ebenezer Anifowose
Public Health Nutritionist
CEO www.healthucate.org
[email]ebennyinc@yahoo.com[/email]


Cc: @dominique @Sissy3

To read more for yourself

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/05/28/how-and-why-a-journalist-tricked-news-outlets-into-thinking-chocolate-makes-you-thin/

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/coca-cola-funds-scientists-who-shift-blame-for-obesity-away-from-bad-diets/?_r=1

PS:

If you are a certified nutritionist in the house, kindly send me an email if you are interested in brainstorming ways to meet the health information needs of our dear country.