Espresso, demise, and the New York Instances Effectively weblog |

A New York Instances publication headline author tried to be cute:

No, it’s not so easy.

And, no, the examine didn't discover that those that drank average quantities of espresso have a decrease mortality danger than non-coffee drinkers.

That could be a cause-and-effect assertion, and this observational examine didn’t discover that, didn’t show that, however solely pointed to a statistical affiliation.

The precise online version of the story, linked to from the teaser above, hedged and danced with varied wordsmithing.  Excerpts:

• “That morning cup of coffee may be linked to a lower risk of dying”
• “There are, however, major caveats to interpreting this research… This is an observational study, which means the data cannot conclusively prove that coffee itself lowers the risk of dying; there may be other lifestyle factors contributing to that lower mortality risk among people who drink coffee, like a healthy diet or a consistent exercise routine.”

However whom you select to interview additionally impacts the message.  And the Instances selected to interview one of many editors of the Annals of Inside Drugs, which printed the paper.  And that editor gushed with extraordinary glee for a journal editor.

“It’s huge. There are very few things that reduce your mortality by 30 percent,” stated Dr. Christina Wee, an affiliate professor of medication at Harvard Medical College and a deputy editor of the scientific journal the place the examine was printed.”

Besides that, once more, the paper didn’t show a discount in mortality by any %.

As I’ve written earlier than, espresso is the poster little one for miscommunicated observational analysis.  However throughout all the COVID craziness of the latest previous, it has taken a again seat. God assist us if this marks a comeback for crappy espresso headlines.