Flashback - Diet Soda and Depression

[I wrote this over seven years ago about another meaningless study meant to make disturbing headlines for the news media and possibly to attract more funding for the researchers. The only party left out of the equation, as usual, was we, the consumers.] 

I have mentioned before the tendency of journalists and the media to try to get and hold our attention with emotionally charged pictures and stories. We regularly see news about the results of studies that seem surprising, scary, or shocking, but they are often somewhat meaningless. They challenge our ability to remain calm and think rationally about the subject. Here is another example.

“A new study finds that people who drink diet sodas or fruit drinks are more likely to be diagnosed with depression.” The article continues very responsibly to explain the size and nature of the study and to emphasize that a link does not necessarily mean that drinking diet sodas causes depression, but the headline - "Drinking diet soda linked to depression" – has us hooked. (With sugary soft drinks being blamed for obesity - blame the soda, not the person drinking it - our choices are narrowing.)

Thinking critically about it, we know that correlation is not the same as causation. "Linked to" isn't the same as "caused by." We may wonder what we are supposed to do with this information – stop drinking diet soda so to avoid depression or start drinking lots of coffee, which the article tells us may have the opposite effect? I don’t think it works that way.

Later in the article they say, “more research is needed.” So what was the point?

Why should we even care about these kinds of studies that give preliminary findings, or publicize findings before they are presented for formal review, or rely heavily on self-reporting as opposed to objective observation?  As I pointed out before, we don’t have the time or energy to be worried about everything, so there is nothing really useful about such news. But it does make for catchy headlines.

[After all this time nothing has changed. Basically meaningless preliminary studies continue to be published and highlighted in the news almost daily, and it won’t stop until a large number of Americans wise up to the tactics.

On second thought, one thing has changed. Judging from comments on social media, some people do have time to worry and express an opinion about everything, but that's another topic. ]