Apple Eaters Visit the Doctor Just as Often as Everyone Else, Study Finds
8th April 2015
Studying the eating habits of 8,399 Americans, the researchers separated out a group of 753 who ate at least one small apple every day. These apple eaters were generally healthier and better educated than the general populace, but once the effects of such confounding factors were accounted for, there was no statistical difference to be found. Apple eaters were just as likely to visit the doctor or have an overnight hospital stay as everyone else.
Hey, tenure doesn’t grow on trees, you know.
This analysis, led by University of Michigan assistant professor Matthew Davis, has a number of important limitations. While its subjects are nationally representative for the US, the data is based on their recall of food consumption over a period of 24 hours, which they assert to be representative of their usual diet. That’s then compared against their hospital or doctor visits over the previous month, which are again self-reported, and the metric for “keeping the doctor away” is to have no more than one meeting with a medical professional during that period. That leaves the nuance of why people might need treatment unaddressed.
Your tax dollars at work.