#HAWMC – Day 4 – Ludicrous Headline or Cure

Oh, goodness gracious, it looks like I will be posting every day in April. You see, the WEGO Health Team came up with 30 blogging prompts and then named the whole idea “Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge” (with Twitter hashtag #HAWMC). So here goes…

Monday April 4 – Ludicrous Headline or Cure. Do a news search and choose a ridiculous headline or proposed cure about your condition and write what you think about it.

At first, I thought I would have to dig around a bit for a truly ludricous headline. Then this popped up on Saturday in my Google News Feed – Maple Syrup: Boon for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

Researchers have found anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties in maple syrup, as presented this week at the American Chemical Society annual meeting. In addition, they believe that the polyphenols in maple syrup “can help regulate the blood sugar level resulting in reduction of conversion rate of carbohydrates into sugar”. This could lead to the invention of new therapies for type 2 diabetes.

The headline grabs you, making you think that the story is about consuming maple syrup to help treat type 2 diabetes. The thing is, maple syrup is already full of simple carbohydrates that raise blood sugar. Maybe the researchers do have something going on with those polyphenols being able to treat type 2 diabetes and an array of other diseases. However, the misleading headline begs a quote from Dr. John McDougall: “People love to hear good news about their bad habits.”

But wait, there’s more. The study was funded in part by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. Research bias, anyone?

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One Response to #HAWMC – Day 4 – Ludicrous Headline or Cure

  1. Crystal says:

    Biased? Nah…. *rolls eyes*
    Pass the pancakes and waffles, thanks.

    Reply

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