On Expensive Yogurt :)
August 18, 2009
Yesterday’s strip from the Sheldon comic is a pretty funny take on “scientific” yogurt, with bonus mention of the ghostwriting of scientific articles.
Hat tip to Siobhan for sending it to me; she’s a fellow medical librarian who is always sharing great and more serious links via Bringing Health Information to the Community.
This reminds me to dredge up one of my favorites on this topic, Sarah Haskins’s Target Women: Yogurt. WordPress doesn’t like the embed, so go to the link above, and be forewarned that Current is a jerk of a website because it autoplays videos.
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Ha! I used to research probiotics. This is so funny.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t any yogurt with live active cultures (which would be pretty much all of ‘em, “expensive” or not) a “probiotic?”
Rachel, I noticed that the instant Dannon put out its “probiotic” brand, the statement about containing active cultures disappeared from the cartons of their other brands. Not that I’m suggesting anything.
Oooh, nm, that is tricky! (esp. if they’re still in there but they don’t want people to be able to easily tell)
I assume that’s what they’re doing. I’ve never bothered investigating, though.
That cracked me up. Thanks for sharing.
Heh. Of course there’s expensive yoghurt and expensive yoghurt. I pay more for Greek yoghurt, because it tastes better. The “probiotic” stuff, OTOH….
Ha! Great comic and interesting article on ghostwriting for scientific journals. Yes, yogurt has always had live cultures and they’ve always been good for your digestive health. We’re starting to see more science emerge on probiotics and immune health, however, and this contributes to the functional foods frenzy we’re seeing everywhere. Seems like you can’t buy a box of cereal anymore without a zillion extra things added for your health (and at a higher cost). Personally, I’m not in favor of the throwing-spaghetti-at-the-wall method of natural health. If there’s a lack or an issue, address it. But paying extra for all these things that may or may not do much more for you seems wasteful, and worse, like a marketing ploy. That said, I do take probiotics in a supplement when I need a boost, or when I’m taking antibiotics (which kill almost all the bacteria in your body, good or bad), and for other digestive issues. I find a supplement is much more potent and varied (16 strains versus just a handful in yogurt). Anyway, thanks for the “checks and balances” you do, and for the laugh!
- Anna M
blog.nutri-health.com