According to a study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine s annual meeting in Seattle, exercise for women over thirty may help stave off breast cancer. Of course, ACSH staffers recommend regular exercise for everyone, but the connection to breast cancer seems dubious. It s getting a decent amount of coverage but not a lot of skepticism. Health reporters tend to give a free ride to claims that things society accepts, like exercise, are good -- and things we don't like, such as synthetic chemicals, are bad, regardless of the strength of the evidence. says ACSH's Jeff Stier.
ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan notes, All too often, this sort of reporting is accepted based on the assumption that the end justifies the means. If it inspires people to exercise, no one cares if the science is credible. While this may seem fairly harmless, it undermines the credibility of the public health community. So, by all means, exercise regularly, but not just because it s politically correct.
