Diet myths busted

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A new book by health journalist Robert J. Davis, PhD aims to bust diet myths once and for all.

‘Coffee Is Good for You’, due out in January 2012, disputes many commonly held beliefs about health. According to Davis's book you don’t need eight glasses of water a day and carbs aren’t to blame for your weight gain, while gourmands might be disappointed to note that expensive sea salt offers no health benefits distinct from other salt.

At the same time Davis gives other claims his seal of approval. Oatmeal does reduce cholesterol, he says, and it’s true that trans fats are harmful. Some theories about diet are inconclusive, like whether tomato helps prevent prostate cancer.

The book’s title was inspired by the mass of misinformation that is often disseminated about coffee. According to Davis, coffee drinkers are not at a higher risk of cancer than people who don’t drink the brew, nor does coffee greatly increase the risk of heart attack and strokes despite claims otherwise. The most significant problem with coffee, says Davis, is the dairy and sugar people add to it.

Davis wanted to give people unbiased and fact-checked information about diet and health, particularly when so much advice available contains conflicting theories. One recommendation he makes is to avoid fads and advertisements making health claims for their products.

Davis is also the author of ‘The Healthy Skeptic: Cutting through the Hype about Your Health’ and editor of Everwell.com, and his work has featured on CNN, PBS, and WebMD, and in ‘The Wall Street Journal’.

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