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Need to KnowMasters13 m+150 XP
Health literacy: reading the evidence like a pro
Study quality, risk statistics, sleep & stress fundamentals — and spotting health nonsense
Not all evidence is equal. At the bottom: anecdotes, case reports, expert opinion. In the middle: observational studies (correlation, not causation). At the top: randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analyses. The health supplement industry thrives in the gap between "this has some research" and "this is proven to work." A single RCT with 50 participants vs a meta-analysis of 50 RCTs with 50,000 participants are not comparable, but they'll both be cited as "science shows."
Key Points
- ▸Meta-analysis > RCT > observational study > case report > anecdote
- ▸Relative risk vs absolute risk: "50% higher risk" means nothing without the baseline
- ▸Correlation ≠ causation — confounding variables are everywhere
- ▸Sleep is the single best-evidenced health intervention available