Health science information is confusing, who should we listen to?

At present, people's attention to online medical health science is increasing. Health science has become a traffic code and is valued by major platforms and media. However, faced with a variety of health science information on the Internet, ordinary people are at a loss. Today it says you should eat more of this, and tomorrow it says you must not eat more; today it says this set of health methods is good, and tomorrow it says that doing so will harm your health... Faced with this situation, how should we deal with it? The way is simple, we can try this method.

First, ask who is doing the popular science. This is something that everyone cares about, and they know to give priority to popular science content from regular medical institutions, professional doctors, authoritative medical media, etc. Of course, there are also cases of fake experts online. In addition to increasing the intensity of the crackdown, it is a wise choice to give priority to the official accounts of well-known hospitals, which can ensure the authenticity and credibility of the content. It is undeniable that most official websites are relatively rigid and unsatisfactory, which is why we media supplement them. For medical information disseminated by we media, we should especially identify the identity information of the organizer, and be more vigilant about the unique content it disseminates, especially some sensational claims, and it is best to verify from multiple sources.

Second, believe in common sense. Be rational about popular science content and judge whether it conforms to basic medical common sense. For example, if a popular science article claims that a certain food can completely cure cancer, can replace drugs, and so on, this is obviously inconsistent with current medical knowledge. In addition, it is to see whether the popular science content has a scientific basis. As the saying goes, "empty words are not enough", we need to see whether these views are cited with reliable research data, literature, or supported by clinical cases. The credibility of medical popular science views without any scientific support is greatly reduced.

Third, you need to have some analytical skills. One important point is to avoid blindly following trends. Mung beans, red beans, and soybeans are all good things. Eating more of them is good for your health, which is true, but everything has its limits. Although whole grains are good, some elderly people have a single diet, which leads to malnutrition, which is too much. Balanced nutrition is basic common sense. As long as we allocate the daily amount of protein, vegetables and fruits according to our own situation, we can ensure basic health. Don't blindly follow a popular science method just because it is popular on the Internet. When you see a celebrity lose weight successfully, don't do it immediately without considering your own physical condition. This may have adverse effects on your health. It is important to remember that treatment methods or health advice that are suitable for others may not be suitable for you.

In addition, some netizens feel that the medical and health knowledge popularization on the Internet is "one person has his own opinion, another has his own opinion", and even if they are all authoritative experts, they often have conflicting opinions. In fact, there are indeed cases where different experts hold different opinions on the health knowledge popularization on the Internet. This is because health problems are often complex, and different experts may come to different conclusions based on different professional perspectives, research backgrounds, and clinical experience.

For example, in terms of diet, some experts may emphasize that a low-carbohydrate diet is good for health, believing that it can control weight, improve blood sugar, etc.; while some experts may believe that a balanced diet structure is more important, including the right amount of carbohydrates, protein and fat. For example, in terms of exercise, some experts may advocate that high-intensity interval training is an efficient way to exercise, which can achieve better exercise results in a short period of time; while other experts may believe that long-term moderate aerobic exercise, such as jogging, swimming, etc., is more beneficial to the body. For example, regarding sleep, some experts believe that 8 hours of sleep must be guaranteed every day, otherwise it will have a serious impact on health; while some experts point out that the length of sleep varies from person to person, and the key is to ensure the quality of sleep. All these show that different experts may have different views on health issues, and we need to analyze and judge based on our own situation.

It is very important for the public to listen to health science advice selectively. First, we can pay more attention to the advice from experts with good reputation and rich experience from authoritative institutions. Secondly, we should learn to comprehensively analyze different viewpoints and understand the basis and logic behind them. The most important thing is to judge which advice is more suitable for us based on our actual situation, such as physical condition, lifestyle, etc. In short, when facing health science content on the Internet, we should maintain rational and critical thinking to better maintain good health.

(The author Jin Zhenrong is the deputy director of the Science and Technology Communication Professional Committee of the China Science and Technology Journalism Association)