The concept of relative risk (RR) is important in epidemiology, or observational studies of people. RR is how much more likely individuals in a population are going to develop a condition based on what they eat or how they behave. The RR for lung cancer in cigarette smokers is about 10, meaning that if you have that nasty habit you are 10 times more likely to get lung cancer than someone who never smoked. But nonsmokers occasionally get lung cancer, and most smokers do not die of lung cancer. To put things in proportion, practically all dietary risk factors for chronic diseases have an RR of 2 or less. While this is statistically significant, it is not particularly strong by standards of environmental epidemiology. On the other hand, bringing an RR of 2 down to 1 means that we cut the incidence of a disease by half, and this would be a major public health effect.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Remember that none of this means anything definite for an individual. RR is a statistic generated to compare large numbers of people. As another example, someone with very high blood cholesterol is twice as likely to have a heart attack than someone with normal cholesterol. But half the heart attacks occur in people with desirable cholesterol levels.
Please recommend Nutrition News Focus to your family and friends. If you like, point your browser to http://www.nutritionnewsfocus.com/cgi-bin/birdcast.cgi where you'll find an easy recommendation form.
DISCLAIMER: The information in Nutrition News Focus is intended only to help you understand the Nutrition News. We do not recommend any treatment, food or supplement. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician. If you read something in this newsletter that in any way contradicts what your physician tells you, TAKE YOUR PHYSICIAN'S ADVICE, NOT OURS.
Comments on this posting?
Click here to post a public comment on the Trash Talk Bulletin Board.
Click here to send a private comment to the Junkman.