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Belief beyond the evidence: using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence.

ABSTRACT: Various intentional and unintentional factors influence beliefs beyond what scientific evidence justifies. Two such factors are research lacking probative value (RLPV) and biased research reporting (BRR).We investigated the prevalence of RLPV and BRR in research about the proposition that skipping breakfast causes weight gain, which is called the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity (PEBO) in this article.Studies related to the PEBO were synthesized by using a cumulative meta-analysis. Abstracts from these studies were also rated for the improper use of causal language and biased interpretations. In separate analyses, articles that cited an observational study about the PEBO were rated for the inappropriate use of causal language, and articles that cited a randomized controlled trial (RCT) about the PEBO were rated for misleadingly citing the RCT.The current body of scientific knowledge indicates that the PEBO is only presumed true. The observational literature on the PEBO has gratuitously established the association, but not the causal relation, between skipping breakfast and obesity (final cumulative meta-analysis P value <10(-42)), which is evidence of RLPV. Four examples of BRR are evident in the PEBO literature as follows: 1) biased interpretation of one's own results, 2) improper use of causal language in describing one's own results, 3) misleadingly citing others' results, and 4) improper use of causal language in citing others' work.The belief in the PEBO exceeds the strength of scientific evidence. The scientific record is distorted by RLPV and BRR. RLPV is a suboptimal use of collective scientific resources.

SUBMITTER: Brown AW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3798081 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Belief beyond the evidence: using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence.

Brown Andrew W AW Bohan Brown Michelle M MM Allison David B DB

The American journal of clinical nutrition 20130904 5

<h4>Background</h4>Various intentional and unintentional factors influence beliefs beyond what scientific evidence justifies. Two such factors are research lacking probative value (RLPV) and biased research reporting (BRR).<h4>Objective</h4>We investigated the prevalence of RLPV and BRR in research about the proposition that skipping breakfast causes weight gain, which is called the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity (PEBO) in this article.<h4>Design</h4>Studies related to the PEBO were syn ...[more]

PMID: 24004890

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Project description:BackgroundEvidence from experimental and observational studies is limited regarding the most favorable breakfast composition to prevent abdominal fat accumulation. We explored the association between breakfast composition (a posteriori derived dietary patterns) and abdominal obesity among regular breakfast eaters from a Swiss population-based sample.MethodsThe cross-sectional survey assessed diet using two 24-h dietary recalls in a nationally representative sample of adults aged 18 to 75 years. We derived dietary patterns using principal component analysis based on the intake of 22 breakfast-specific food groups. All regular breakfast eaters were predicted an individual score for each identified pattern, and then classified into tertiles (T1, T2, T3). We defined abdominal obesity as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) ≥ 0.9 in men and ≥ 0.85 in women. Logistic models were adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics, relevant nutrition- and health-related behaviors, and diet quality during the rest of the day.ResultsOf the 2019 included survey participants, 1351 (67%) were regular breakfast eaters. Among them, we identified three breakfast types: 1) 'traditional' - white bread, butter, sweet spread, 2) 'prudent' - fruit, unprocessed and unsweetened cereal flakes, nuts/seeds, yogurt, and 3) 'western' - processed breakfast cereals, and milk. The 'prudent' breakfast was negatively associated with abdominal obesity. After full adjustment, including diet quality during the rest of the day, the association was weaker (T3 vs. T1: OR 0.72, 95% CI: 0.47 to 1.08). People taking a 'prudent' breakfast (in T3) had 1.2% lower WHR compared to people taking a breakfast distant from 'prudent' (in T1) (P = 0.02, fully adjusted model with continuous log-WHR). We found no association between 'traditional' or 'western' breakfasts and WHR (OR 1.00, 95% CI: 0.67 to 1.50 and OR 1.16, 95% CI: 0.79 to 1.71, respectively). Findings were in the same directions for the three breakfast types when defining obesity with waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, or body mass index (≥ 30 kg/m2, for 'prudent' breakfast: OR 0.51, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.85).ConclusionsRegular breakfast consumers had less abdominal obesity if their breakfast was composed of fruit, natural cereal flakes, nuts/seeds and yogurt. This association was partly explained by their healthier diet during the rest of the day.Trial registrationISRCTN16778734 .

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Belief beyond the evidence: using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence.

Publications

Belief beyond the evidence: using the proposed effect of breakfast on obesity to show 2 practices that distort scientific evidence.

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