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medpundit |
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Thursday, December 26, 2002Men who ate about 3 to 5 ounces of fish one to three times a month were 43 percent less likely to have a stroke during 12 years of follow-up. Men who ate fish more often did not reduce their risk any further, suggesting that a small amount works just as well as a larger one, said co-author Dr. Ka He of Harvard's School of Public Health and colleagues. My goodness that does sound impressive. Unfortunately, the incidence of strokes in all groups was miniscule, and not at all that much different. In fact, this study is one of the most ludicrous examples of using statistics to inflate results. This is how the numbers break down for overall stroke, both the type that’s caused by a blood clot to the brain and the type that’s caused by bleeding: Number of men who ate fish less than once a month - 2616. Number who had strokes - 40 (1.5%) The authors, however, only make the claim for ischemic strokes - the kind that involves clots to the brain. But the numbers are even worse when you exclude the hemorrhagic strokes: Number of ischemic strokes in men who ate fish less than once a month - 30 (1%) The truth is, it doesn’t really matter how much fish men eat. (Probably doesn't matter for women, either.) You would think the study had been funded by a group of fishermen rather than the NIH. Maybe the researchers are just partial to fish. posted by Sydney on 12/26/2002 07:11:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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