That's Fit

Statistics can sometimes seem like a doomsday language, spoken in callous tones and unfeeling generalizations by faceless analysts. Even a simple Google search on topics ranging from cancer risk to the possibility of an asteroid striking the earth produces a numerical likelihood that, despite it being of questionable accuracy, can leave a person rather unnerved.

This is certainly the case with a statistic I just came across, which highlighted the fact that 1.1 million people will suffer a heart attack in the U.S. this year. What's worse, almost half of those people will not survive. Now, how is a person supposed to read that and then just go on with their day?

Thankfully, just like the lingering fear of a horror film can be subdued by constantly reminding yourself that it's just a movie, the statistics scare can similarly be quelled with knowledge. With regard to heart attack risk, a person can feel much safer knowing that eating blueberries can reduce a person's risk of heart attack by as much as 60 percent. Good - so I'll be sure to buy blueberries the next time I'm at the supermarket. But what about my mother? And my grandmother? And my father? And every person I've ever met in my entire life? How can I make sure they're all eating blueberries and protecting their hearts?!!!!

And so goes the panic and hysteria, caused almost entirely by what Mark Twain himself stated were not much more than damned lies: statistics.

Drinking one or more soft drinks per day, be them diet or regular, may increase your obesity risk. Okay, fine. This is old news by this point. But, for some strange reason, I can't seem to get past this report, which appeared in the very well-respected journal Circulation. This is not because I'm overly concerned that it may be true, but because I feel it's an obvious sign of poor statistical analysis.

What the researchers found is that downing one or more 12-ounce servings of soda per day can increase a person's risk of obesity by 31 percent. Clearly this makes sense when referring to the drinkers of regular sodas, as it is almost common knowledge that soda contains an inordinate amount of fast-digesting, simple sugars and a great deal of calories. My issue, however, is with the claim that diet soda can have the same effect.