Thursday, January 24, 2019
"Science" worse than unnecessary
Via RCS, a "study" that first agrees with an obvious and certainly true fact, then removes the certainty with bad methods, then spoils a potentially useful finding.
= = = = =
Agrees with the obvious:
An international study of the genetics of 300,000 people has confirmed that physical activity can help prevent depression.Everyone knows this. I prove it every day in my own life. It doesn't need "scientific" proof. = = = = = Discredits the obvious:
However, this new work by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital, US, shows a causal link between exercising and avoiding depression, and also shows that the opposite is not true – being depressed does not cause people to exercise less.MURDEROUSLY WRONG. The converse is UNQUESTIONABLY true. When you're down you don't feel like getting out and moving. Not moving brings you further down. Positive feedback loop leading to death. = = = = = Bad method:
...used a Mendelian randomisation design, which can treat genetic variation between people as a kind of natural experiment. “Although Mendelian randomisation is not without its own limitations, it can be used to answer familiar questions using a very different approach from what has been done before.” “Put simply, if exercise causally reduces the incidence of depression, then people who carry gene variants that increase exercise should proportionally be less likely to get depressed.”You DECONTROLLED the experiment by INTRODUCING a gene variant which could INNATELY include less depression. = = = = = Missing the potentially valuable:
Results suggest that activity measured using the accelerometers did protect against risk of depression, but self-reported activity did not. The authors propose this could result from bias and inaccuracies in self-reported physical activity. Objective readings from the accelerometers capture activities like climbing stairs, walking to the shops or housework, which people might not think of as physical activity. With accelerometer data, the researchers found that replacing sedentary behaviour with just 15 minutes of vigorous physical activity, like running, or an hour of moderate activity, like fast walking, reduces depression risk by 26%.You almost had the key with ordinary activity, though housework in a modern house generally isn't the right kind of exercise. Rhythm is crucial, and most housework is standing, not walking. The big miss: "Vigorous activity like running" is GYM CLASS, in other words UNMITIGATED SCREAMING HELL. Depressed people shouldn't do ANYTHING that reminds them of bullies and competition and failure. If you're going to prescribe "workouts" or running, you're going to lose the client immediately. Fuck off, vile nasty gym teacher. You ruined my life once, and I'm not going to let you ruin it again.
Labels: Blinded by Stats
¶ 11:51 PM
