For any given claim, I hold the following perspectives:
- Conclusions are rarely absolute. Instead, I view them as 'likely, based on current evidence.'
- A conclusion may change over time with new information
- A conclusion may represent an average effect, individual results may vary.
- Nothing exists in a vacuum. External factors can change the circumstances of an outcome. Not only that, we are a complex system. Food-activity-sleep-connection all feed into each other.
- To further complicate things, really tiny things (genes, microbes, nutrients) cascade toward really big things (people, populations). There is a lot of distance to travel as we zoom in and zoom out.
- Correlations are guesses. Underlying causation requires investigation and should have some mechanistic driver.
- Related to this, not all studies are equal.
- There's a lot we don't know. An open mind is essential.
- People are people. People are not robots. People are not lab rats. Emotion sometimes trumps logic. Feelings can be more powerful than facts. Perception makes a world of difference.
For more detailed perspectives on scientific scrutiny, please refer to Peter Attia's Studying Studies.
