It is concerning to us when scientific research is taken out of context by media sources, particularly when people are inclined to read headlines and may not absorb the nuances of the research behind those headlines. This happened recently with headlines proclaiming the negative health effects of consuming egg yolks hitting newsstands across North America. The original article was published by authors from our own Western University and was entitled “Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque”.
Co-written by: Stephanie Morrison & Jody Schuurman
As contributors to this healthy living blog, we encourage you to empower yourselves before taking any health related headlines to heart. The original research did find some connections between carotid plaque* and egg consumption, but the researchers acknowledged that further investigations are needed to confirm and explain the association found between egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque in this particular population. Researchers don’t say that more research is needed just so that they have jobs; this is a true and very important qualifying statement.
Headlines are designed to generate interest and excitement, and can never depict the whole of a news story. In the case of this “Egg Debate”, journalists were doing their jobs by reporting on relevant and timely news, but they allowed their headlines to generate excitement and alarm, instead of responsibly reflecting the context of the research. As time passed, some credible journalists wrote thoughtful articles that examined the research in question more fully. We applaud those who provided useful and relevant accounts of the nuances of the original scientific research.
Please read the full article here.
* carotid plaque – Carotid refers to the carotid artery, an artery that delivers oxygenated blood to the heart. This artery was the one that the ultrasound was performed on. Plaque is a thick, wax-like coating, in can collect on the inner walls of bloods vessels, and tend to build up over time, restricting blood flow. Blood clots can form at the plaque and either obstruct blood flow or break off and cause an obstruction.