The Oreo Cookie Therapy: Beats Statins for Some
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As a public health scientist, it is part of my job to tell people what is healthy and what isn’t. Whether they want to hear it or not. At least, that’s what I thought.
It’s so ingrained in my mental wiring that I never questioned the sense of condensing science into those ubiquitous “Do this, Don’t do that” messages. I’m not the only one. Whether it’s the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 or your favorite health guru’s Takeaways, you can’t escape those ‘dos and don’ts’. Now I do question their sense and purpose.
I came to realize that we, the authors, might be wedded to a fantasy—the fantasy that our health messages matter.
If you suspect now that I have gone into a state of disillusion, depression, or dementia, fear not. My journey to this insight was as hilarious as it was invigorating. And it led to a solution that you might prefer to the stern dos and don’ts.
It all started when the study of Oreo biscuit therapy landed on my desk [1].
