Fiber & Dementia
Executive summary
* This week's paper was based on a Japanese population study of fewer than 4,000 people, which started in 1985.
* The participants were compared according to their fiber intake. As always there were differences between those consuming the most vs the least fiber. A measure of affluence was notably absent in the adjustment factors. The healthy person was thus not adjusted for.
* The adjustment (for those characteristics that were adjusted for) did not look right. I explain why in the note.
* Three results were presented in the paper summary (abstract). Only one of these was significant, so the other two should not have been presented as findings.
* There were more non-findings than findings, but this was not highlighted.
* There were claimed findings for soluble fiber, but not insoluble fiber. There were claimed findings for people with dementia without stroke, but not for dementia with stroke. There were claimed findings for potatoes, but not for fruit and vegetables. All of this needed explaining, but this didn't happen.
* This was a poor paper.
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