LibGuides: Critical Skepticism: Media Reports

Red Wine

A Glasss of Red Wine is as Good as an Hour at the Gym
"Research conducted by the University of Alberta in Canada has found that health benefits in resveratrol, a compound found in red wine, are similar to those we get from exercise."
Improvements in skeletal muscle strength and cardiacfunction induced by resveratrol during exercise trainingcontribute to enhanced exercise performance in rats
Key points
•Resveratrol, an antioxidant found in red wine, has beneficial effects on cardiac and skeletal muscle function, similar to the effects of endurance exercise training.
•Combining resveratrol supplementation with exercise training augments the beneficial effects of exercise alone
.•We show that endurance capacity is enhanced in rats whose diet includes resveratrol during a12 week endurance-training programme
.•Increased endurance was associated with increases in skeletal muscle force, cardiac function,and oxidative metabolism.•Our results establish that resveratrol is an effective ergogenic aid that enhances exercise performance over exercise alone.-from the article
Jason Dyck, University of Alberta researcher, reveals truth behind wine study

Dark Chocolate is now a health food-Here's how that happened
The Mars company has sponsored hundreds of scientific studies to show cocoa is good for you.
Why Chocolate May Be Good for the Heart
Eating chocolate has been tied to a reduced risk of heart disease. Now scientists have uncovered one possible reason.

Using data from a large Danish health study, researchers have found an association between chocolate consumption and a lowered risk for atrial fibrillation, the irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other serious problems. The study is in Heart. (See Study linked below)
Chocolate intake and risk of clinically apparent atrial fibrillation: the Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Study

How I fooled Millions
Slim by Chocolate!” the headlines blared. A team of German researchers had found that people on a low-carb diet lost weight 10 percent faster if they ate a chocolate bar every day. (From the article)
In the Journals: Cocoa reduces inflammation associated with heart disease
In this report of a cocoa study recently in the journals, Harvard Medical school gives an accurate description of the strengths and limitations of study as well as some considerations for the reader.
Monagas, M., Khan, N., Andres-Lacueva, C., Casas, R., Urpí-Sardà, M., Llorach, R., ... & Estruch, R. (2009). Effect of cocoa powder on the modulation of inflammatory biomarkers in patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease–. The American journal of c