He or she may even declare, or at least imply, that a conspiracy to maintain dependence on physicians, synthetic drugs, and processed foods exists between the American Medical Association and the pharmaceutical and food industries. But few scientists have the inclination, time, and resources to attempt disproving an implausible hypothesis. Below are some questions one might want to ask the next time one leafs through a diet book. Case histories published in reputable medical journals are reliable. Other case histories may be erroneous, as with respect to diagnosis.
Many people un- or misd iagnosed with cancer, for example, claim to have been cured of it.
The Bottom Line Numerous details concerning diet and disease remain to be elucidated. That paperback writers will elucidate a significant number of these details is extremely unlikely. Ten years from now, preventive dietary and nutritional strategies will be fine-tuned. Until then, as a population we are better-off following the recommendations of scientific organizations respected by scientists than the recommendations of mavericks, entrepreneurial dissidents, and quacks. George R. Kerr, M.D., is a professor of nutrition and international and family health at The University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health.