Notice the length of the study
A four-week study doesn’t tell you whether a weight-loss pill or exercise
regimen is safe or effective. Maybe a pill stops working after two months or
a year.The same goes for exercise programs. Several studies show that one set of
weight training exercises builds as much strength as three sets, and these
one-set studies have been well-publicized in fitness magazines. But the maga-
zines typically don’t mention an important fact: Most of the one-set studies
have lasted only three months. Only a handful of studies have tested subjects
for a longer period of time, and these have generally shown that after four to
six months, people doing one set tend to plateau while those doing three sets
tend to continue making strength gains.Pay attention to the number of subjects
A study performed on a dozen people can’t tell you much of anything, but
this doesn’t stop manufacturers from hyping research conducted with a
sample size no larger than your morning workout group. The makers of an
anti-cellulite pill, now in litigation, originally launched a massive national
campaign to publicize an Italian study purported to show that their pill
worked. But the study was conducted on only ten women. (Furthermore, the
researchers who took the measurements knew which of the women were
using the supplements.)Don’t make too much of animal studies
The way an obese mouse responds to a diet drug may not be the same way
you respond. Chromium picolinate, a diet supplement touted on bottles as
a “Super Reducer!” received plenty of good press. What you may not have
heard is that most of the fat-loss studies have been performed on pigs. Human
studies show that the supplement does not help humans lose weight.Recognize that people lie in surveys
Large studies usually rely on written questionnaires or phone surveys, a
method that can lead to very misleading results. Subjects may not remember
how many leafy green vegetables they ate last month, or they may exaggerate
their exercise habits. According to the New England Journal of Medicine,nearly
half of all research participants overestimate how much they exercise, and an
equal percentage underestimate how much they eat.388 Fitness For Dummies, 3rd Edition