Comments on: The Emperor’s New Clothes: Meta-Analysis http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/ Self-Experimentation, Scientific Method, the Shangri-La Diet, etc. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:23:43 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: seth http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213644 Fri, 29 Aug 2008 01:26:59 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213644 "I'm not sure it's such a bad thing." Is there any other branch of science in which 99% of expensive hard-to-collect data is thrown out? “I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing.” Is there any other branch of science in which 99% of expensive hard-to-collect data is thrown out?

]]> by: NE1 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213630 Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:40:05 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213630 "The a priori defined exclusion criteria were as follows: 1) no data in humans, 2) no original data, 3) observational epidemiologic study, 4) no random allocation, 5) no vitamin-mineral supplement as intervention, and 6) no subclinical marker of atherosclerosis as outcome" Seeing as how supplementation is a subject so prone to bias, I'm not sure it's such a bad thing. Do we need 100 new minerals claiming to be the cure to heart disease? A thousand new snake-oil salesman to hock them, because they're unregulated and so easily obtained? What makes you think a simple dose of vitamins deserves to cure one of the biggest killers out there? Maybe it wouldn't have hurt to list the major culling criterion, but they started out with one huge filter: looking for effects on heart-disease. “The a priori defined exclusion criteria were as follows: 1) no data in humans, 2) no original data, 3) observational epidemiologic study, 4) no random allocation, 5) no vitamin-mineral supplement as intervention, and 6) no subclinical marker of atherosclerosis as outcome”

Seeing as how supplementation is a subject so prone to bias, I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing. Do we need 100 new minerals claiming to be the cure to heart disease? A thousand new snake-oil salesman to hock them, because they’re unregulated and so easily obtained? What makes you think a simple dose of vitamins deserves to cure one of the biggest killers out there? Maybe it wouldn’t have hurt to list the major culling criterion, but they started out with one huge filter: looking for effects on heart-disease.

]]> by: seth http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213204 Wed, 27 Aug 2008 03:21:05 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213204 Nathan, the discarding of the "bad" studies was done, I'm sure, according to widely-accepted rules. It wasn't tailored to this particular situation. But it is truly bizarre that this sort of thing is considered reasonable. Nathan, the discarding of the “bad” studies was done, I’m sure, according to widely-accepted rules. It wasn’t tailored to this particular situation. But it is truly bizarre that this sort of thing is considered reasonable.

]]> by: Nathan Myers http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213022 Tue, 26 Aug 2008 19:08:56 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-213022 I take the meta-analysis to mean that if you want to discount the benefits of antioxidants, you must discard 2295 out of 2311 controlled trials, or 99.3% of them. What other proposed therapy is robust enough to stand up to such treatment? Probably not even aspirin. I take the meta-analysis to mean that if you want to discount the benefits of antioxidants, you must discard 2295 out of 2311 controlled trials, or 99.3% of them. What other proposed therapy is robust enough to stand up to such treatment? Probably not even aspirin.

]]> by: MT http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-212287 Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:28:36 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2008/08/23/the-emperors-new-clothes-meta-analysis/#comment-212287 It would be interesting to do a second meta-analysis that is more or totally inclusive, and compare results. It would be interesting to do a second meta-analysis that is more or totally inclusive, and compare results.

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