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De Omnibus Dubitandum - Lux Veritas

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Risk factors: More risky than you might think

By Michael D. Shaw
Indeed. This HND piece skewers some of the silly conventional wisdom regarding so-called risk factors. We again make the point—and it bears endless repetition these days—that the famous risk factor linking smoking with lung cancer is in a class by itself.
Moreover, no chemical agent or lifestyle factor has ever come anywhere near such correlation with a disease, and it is quite doubtful that another ever will. But that doesn't stop people from constantly proclaiming such correlations—touting them as would-be risk factors—virtually nonstop. Sadly, the "science" behind most of these pronouncements—and it matters not how esteemed the source—is questionable at best.
We also look at the overblown obesity/type 2 diabetes link, and the notorious PSA/prostate cancer debacle.......Read the complete article.

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