Thursday, June 08, 2017

Applied Statistics

Perhaps we all believe in science until the science goes against our personal convictions:
Children brought up on almond and soya milk are shorter than youngsters who drink just cow's milk, a new study has found.

The plant-based products have become increasingly fashionable, with many extolling the health benefits of them, and others turning to them because of an intolerance or dislike of plain milk.

But the new study found that children who drink non-cow's milk - including plant-based milk drinks and milk from other animals, are growing up shorter than those given traditional fare.
This study could be a fun one to analyze. Not only do you get the math, you get cause/effect, correlation/causation issues, as well as “how much proof do you need to cause you to change your opinion” discussions.

2 comments:

Pseudotsuga said...

(Minor edit in your post: ...until the science goes against are personal convictions...--> that should be "our" not "are.")

Ellen K said...

I know much of this started with peanut allergies. I don't recall any kid I knew being allergic to peanuts because peanut butter was pervasive in 1960's America. Even my own kids didn't really encounter food allergies until they were in college. While I know food allergies can be serious, I think sometimes well-meaning parents who seek to avoid discomfort for their child, take ridiculous actions to limit otherwise harmless food. I know, because as a young mother, I did this. Having two babies 14 months apart, I fed my son the same Soy based formula our first pediatrician had recommended due to a family history of asthma. Unlike my daughter, who slept through the night at two weeks, my son had the world's longest case of colic. I learned to drink coffee. Only when he stopped with formula and started drinking cows milk, did the crankiness go away. Later he would reject all forms of beans. Today as an adult he doesn't eat any beans-and says they make him sick. So for nine months while his poor tummy was in pain, he was dealing with misplaced concern by me. Also note, his adult height is 5'11", his younger brother is 6'4". His younger brother was never on soy. Just saying.