Is Anecdotal Evidence Valuable? 5 Reasons To be Cautious!

This video covers why anecdotes about the health benefits of specific foods or diets should be considered, at best, very low-level evidence.
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- VIDEO DESCRIPTION -
A large portion of the health and nutrition information on KZbin and elsewhere online consists of anecdotes. Anecdotes are personal accounts of health benefits experienced in response to a change in diet or lifestyle. In this video, we are discussing five reasons why such anecdotes should be considered, at best, very low-level evidence.
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- TIMESTAMPS -
0:00 Introduction
1:08 Lack of Data on Generalizability
3:10 Positive Selection Bias
3:51 Placebo Effect
6:10 Inability to Identify Key Dietary Factor
6:59 Benefits May Be Temporary, Risks May Manifest Later
8:57 Conclusions
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- DISCLAIMER -
The content of this video, this KZbin channel in general, and our blog at www.nourishedbyscience.com is for informational purposes only. Nothing herein shall be construed to be health or medical advice. Although we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of all information posted to this Website, we can make no guarantees as to how the information and advice provided herein will affect you and your personal situation. If you need or require individual advice or guidance, then you should consult with a professional who can assist you. For our full disclaimer, please refer to nourishedbyscience.com/discla...

[@marymccartor9373]

I really appreciate that you give not just information, but also information about information -- how to assess the merits of "information."

[@MissMoonshineDance]

excellent presentation. be skeptical even for Medical Doctors who start their podcasts with multiple ads recommending supplements because they themselves take them (Mark Hyman, snake oil salesman)

[@mgfatso]

You've created an amazing nutrition science channel! I can't wait for more videos

[@nourishedbyscience]

Thank you. I am glad you are enjoying it.

[@TasteOfButterflies]

You're a nicer person than me: I fully expected #1 (and then every point after that) to be "they could simply be lying".

[@nourishedbyscience]

Or people could be fooling themselves about the reason for their health imiprovements. One thing I see a lot in comments is that people who have lost weight on a low-carb diet then conclude from this that carbs are the cause of evrery ill they had before, and no amount of data can convince them otherwise. That's why I think that personal experiences are powerful, and they can be valuable, but they also can be increadibly misleading. Best, Mario

[@russbrown6453]

Excellent video. True it's important to be cautious about anecdotal evidence. However, I believe equally as important to be cautious about Big PHARMA funded, studies especially when there is enormous profit to be made. Not to mention that some of these "studies" are poorly controlled, have a bias with unlimited degrees of freedom. Additionally, learning from the trial and errors of other ordinary people has helped so many.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Yes, I do think we agree. I absolutely also feel that we need to be similarly critical of observational studies and randomized controlled trials, and evaluate the strengths and limitations, including potential conflicts of interest, for each separately. I have also felt that anecdotal evidence can be valuable, but I still feel strongly that people should be aware of the points mentioned in the video (just as it is important to be able to read and interpret research studies properly). Cheers Mario

[@GWW204]

Just discovered this channel - sooo very informative and credible!!! Keep making thoses clips, Dr. Mario, and I'll keep watching and sharing with my people!

[@marcdaniels9079]

This is another fantastic video full of balance and nuance. I have read so many comments on YT from people clearly super happy about their health changes induced by reported actions of every kind. As you say these are interesting if not compelling. It’s a shame that so many of these people believe they have discovered the silver bullet cure to everything for everyone. What is also interesting to me is the level of hyperbole and confirmation bias that comes with no critical thinking or objectivity. People writing that they never get sick or have zero aches and pains at age 80 sounds wonderful but I do find it hard to believe as both of these things are normal parts of life and ageing. The placebo issue is also fascinating. I remember watching a TV documentary on this years ago and being astonished at some of the results including patients with arthritis in their knees having “ surgery” in which no corrective procedure was implemented although they underwent surgery and they had some great recovery results after.

[@Gabriel-fi3kn]

This video is seriously under-viewed (less than 1000 after 10mo - stats at the writing of my post). It's a shame millions of people are watching "anecdotal evidence" videos promising a ton of good things but so few are not watching videos like this one. This video should be mandatory to watch if you want to subscribe to certain channels 😛

[@nourishedbyscience]

Thank you. I did not expect this video would go viral, but - of course - I agree with you.

[@AngryDrake]

Good points about idealizing diets. I wish I had not done that in the past.

[@nourishedbyscience]

I think that subconsciously, we all tend to do it to some degree. I guess we all want to believe in anecdotes, we all want to be part of a tribe, and we all don’t want to consider harmful aspects of our own long-term behaviors. But all of these ‘wants’ can get in the way of being open to important new information, to our own detriment. That, to me, is one of the key strengths of science: to remove all of these subjective factors, and to force us to look at something that is closer to reality than our own perceived truths. Thanks for commenting.

[@sweetsushanna-ahh]

I totally agree because many people will say use ginger and it will bring your blood pressure down....it does not do that for me, it does the opposite. The cause needs to be evaluated as much as the “cure”. Everyone’s body react differently and even though help conditions may have the same symptoms, there are various reasons leading up to the diagnosis. Like, moderate exercise is helping me with my numbers but aren’t there people who are athletic and they have the same issues? I’m going to be more careful now about giving advice based on my own personal situation, I may say what is helpful but I will also say, do your research and see if it’s right for you.

[@mirandafriske4525]

I find anecdotal to be more trustworthy than most studies. I'm not talking about one or two individual personal testimonies. I'm talking about large amounts of people who have tried the same thing and report the same benefits.

[@KoiRun50]

Hi Mario, I have just read a paper titled The role of IL-1 in postprandial fatigue studying the role of IL-1 receptor antagonist 'anakinra.' I often get these annoying 'carb coma' post meal lol. So I thought I don't have access to anakinra but I have Advil or Omega 3 tablets (which are also anti-inflammatory). So this morning I tried 2 Omega-3 softgels half an hour post a huge breakfast and it worked!! Does this make sense to you in terms of the mechanism (not the placebo effect)? I came over from hearing about Red Pen Reviews on Peter Attia's channel. I'm glad to be the relatively new subscriber #642 of this new exciting channel.

[@nourishedbyscience]

Hi KoiRun, thanks for the comment and question. Anakinra is a very strong and specific inhibitor of the IL-1 pathway, and there is no way that NSAIDS (i.e., ibuprofen) or omega-3s have anywhere near as strong an effect, IMHO. Specifically, with omega-3s, you need to take a fairly high dose over an extended period of time to measurably affect inflammatory mediators. Don't underestimate the placebo effect though. As much as I believe in the power of nutrition, I think the placebo effect is likely stronger than many dietary factors ...

[@KoiRun50]

I believe that’s so true. I take advantage of the placebo effect all the time. Thanks for the reply; very insightful. I like reading all your replies under comments.

[@kenweidemoyer2221]

Good video, I wonder if Things I am doing ,if my mind is making it better, Thanks

[@nourishedbyscience]

I do think we all have our biases, including about our diet. That's normal, but I do believe strongly that we need to understand them and try to overcome them, because they make us much less open to alternative explanations or information.

[@emmas816]

Hi Mario, please make a video how to gain weight, about timing eating in relation to exercise for people who has to sit at the computer whole day. And in a same time bring A1c down.

[@DannyTurner]

Hi. I'm researching nutrition books and can't find one that agrees well with the science. Can you recommend some science-based books other than Eat, Drink and Be Healthy, The Good GUT?

[@nourishedbyscience]

Sadly, among the popular ones, it is hard to find one that is based on a balanced view of the scientific evidence. If you don't know it yet, check out what we are doing on www.redpenreviews.com . Among the 'diet' books we reviewed, others that did pretty well include 'The Longevity Diet', 'Eat to Beat Disease', and 'The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet'. Also check out 'The Hungry Brain'.

[@ANOOPBAL]

Don't see any videos for a few months. What happened??

[@nourishedbyscience]

Hi Anoop! Thank you for asking. I am working on a couple of new videos right now, so new content is coming soon. This summer, my family moved from the US to Germany, which took a lot of time and effort, but the main reason for the extended pause is that my dad (who was one of the reasons we moved) got diagnosed with, and died from, metastatic pancreatic cancer ... An absolute beast of a disease. It's been good to be able to take some time to be there for him, and then to mourn and process what happened. Still, very sorry for the long break. Best, Mario

[@ANOOPBAL]

@@nourishedbyscience I am sorry to hear. Thank you for the reply.

[@dannyweiss9701]

@@nourishedbyscience my condolences....I just lost my mom, as well, to vascular dementia, that spiraled down fast after vaccination...painful loss for me as her caretaker...unable to help her nutritionally, or otherwise, from melting away mentally, in front of me...i appreciate your content, your approach, the layout of your videos and description details...you have everything well organized and have a great message of Nutritional "truth" to share with the masses...I am seeing your subs skyrocket in just a few days, and its well deserved that you receive this blessing and exposure...I am methodically watching each of your videos, from start to finish, and reading all the comments and your polite replies to all...its been a nice journey to take, while mourning my loss....thank you sir mario...God bless you this Holiday weekend in April

[@raystaar]

There are so many benefits to going vegan, a migraine patient would still benefit, even if he/she continued to suffer.

[@davidcarr2216]

KZbin videos are full of BS - there, fixed that for you. (not yours of course)😁