Headlines are designed to catch the eye and sensationalise. When looking at research results, it is important to understand how the results are presented.
You may have read about a recent study suggesting that taking multivitamins on a daily basis can increase your risk of getting breast cancer by 19%. Many women have contacted us asking if that means they have a 20% chance of getting breast cancer if they take multivitamins.
Closer examination of the results of the study in question showed that there was a difference in diagnoses between a large group of women over 10 years who said they did not take daily multivitamins, and a smaller group who said they did take multivitamins daily. The difference between the two groups was 19%. This is called a relative risk.
Expressed as an absolute risk, the same statistics say that over 10 years, 1 extra woman out of 1667 who took multivitamins on a daily basis would be diagnosed.
Increasingly a study or problem will be presented in an absolute way but the solution or outcome will be reported in a relative way to increase the perception of the results.
Manipulating study results should not undermine your choice or a health professional recommendation to take multivitamins or make choices regarding your health.
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