If, on the other hand, the research findings seem to apply to you, consult a doctor or other credentialed health professional about making dietary or other health behavior changes. Look for the opinion of a reputable health or government organization to validate the positions. When perusing the news accounts of a particular study, it is helpful to have a few key questions in the back of your mind to help evaluate not only the merits of the study, but also whether it is applicable to you. Even the most well-written article does not have enough space to discuss all relevant research on an issue. Yet, it is extremely important for the article to address whether a study is confirming previous research and therefore adding more weight to scientific beliefs, or whether the study's results and conclusions take a wild departure from current thinking on the subject.
Scientists often reach different conclusions when commenting on the same or similar data.
Look for varying conclusions from experts, because certain issues they address may be important when putting the findings into context. Remember, not every study can answer all research questions. Also, a study may have been conducted on animals and not humans. If study results are only applicable to a narrow group of people, it should be reported as such. The subject of research funding gets reported many times in news accounts.