As with any news article, it's important to read health-related news articles with a critical eye.
It's particularly important to critique health news for several reasons, including:
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Here are some questions to ask as you read health news articles.
You might need to find more information about the study/studies being described, in order to assess the article's accuracy or fill in the gaps. If the article doesn't answer some of these questions, chances are it's not telling the whole story.
Does the article support its claims with scientific research?
Did the study actually assess what's in the headline?
Was the research in humans?
How many people did it include?
Did the study have a control group?
Who paid for and conducted the study?