(This item has been updated with a correction.)
The Outliers team digests a lot food research in the course of a week, but a pair of recent studies that came over the electronic transom stood out for their quirks.
First, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, an apple a day doesn't necessarily keep the doctor away. That's according to proverb-busting research that found daily apple eaters had just as many doctor visits as those who ate fewer or no apples.
The apple study, which involved 8,400 U.S. adults who participated in government health surveys from 2007 to 2010, was a bit limited. It only asked about foods participants had eaten in the previous 24 hours and about their medical care in the past year.
Lead author Matthew Davis, a health services researcher at the University of Michigan, told the Associated Press that while the study questions the proverb, “to really disprove it, you would need a different study design.”
CORRECTION:The original version of this Outlier article in print and online prominently featured a study from the Institute of Diet and Health claiming that chocolate aided in weight loss. The study was a hoax. The Institute of Diet and Health does not exist. Modern Healthcare deeply apologizes to its readers for failing to confirm the validity of the study or check with the author of the press release about its alleged findings.
