For the longest time, I used to believe that all published research papers were verified and blindly trustworthy.

Until I read Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, and realized how terribly wrong I was.

Let’s imagine this: You have worked endlessly for years on a project you knew would work. Now, all those years of toil nonchalantly stare you in the face when you see negative, unexpected results.

That can get pretty frustrating, right?

Would you blame scientists for manipulating such results in their research papers, simply because they need to be right?

We’ll get to that. But for now, let’s just say that I’ve realized how easy it is to manipulate- both people and research papers. 

What’s Bad Science about 

In Bad Science, Ben Goldacre (a British physician and academic writer) debunks many myths related to science and research. Giving a fresh perspective to the popular science genre, it’s a witty 342 pages of roasting pseudoscience with facts and figures.

He sheds light on how we’re easily fooled by people claiming things in the name of science while elaborating on other topics like:

• The journey of a drug
• The power of placebo
• How the media representation of science is more than just incorrect
• The deeds of some controversial figures in the field of healthcare
• How ‘eat your greens‘ and ‘exercise well‘ have been pushed over and over by nutritionists wanting to make money
• How we shouldn’t trust all published research blindly

        And more, of course.

The book starts by taking a dig at the cosmetic industry and then goes on to dissect homeopathy as a science. You’ll understand a lot about placebo and its effects, and how powerful the role of placebo in medicine is. For those of you who don’t know, a placebo is when your body plays mind games with you. Let’s take Bill as a superficial example. Bill was sick for a week, so he went to the doctor and begged him for medicines. He took those pills and started feeling better. Little did Bill know that those pills were simply sugar pills with no active medicine- it was all in his head.

What I loved about reading this book was that most texts were supported by facts and figures, staunchly rooted in history. It does get more complex towards the end (and might need rereading to understand it fully) but it’s all worth it.

The writing is pretty easy to understand, and exceptionally witty and hilarious at times. 

Nutritionists, antioxidants, toxins, pharmaceutical companies, drug trials, media, statistics- Ben leaves no room for you to tolerate any bad science whatsoever.

“I can very happily view posh cosmetics-and other forms of quackery-as a special, self-administered, voluntary tax on people who don’t understand science properly.”

Ben Goldacre

Research & Ben

Research is what keeps evidence-based medicine alive and thriving, and what Ben teaches laymen like me about it is even more important: do not trust all research blindly.

Yes, even if they’re blinded trials. Because let’s face it- the world of medicine is a rather tricky one. One wrong study or a slightly biased research paper could have multiple repercussions- mostly unpalatable. It is thereby strongly recommended not to manipulate your research findings, for reasons obvious enough by now (I hope).

So, all it needs is an eagle eye to ensure that what you interpret is based on the statistics you see in the paper. Just to make a point: A clinical drug trial funded by a big pharmaceutical company is more likely to yield positive results.

You get the gist now, don’t you?

Similarly, when media outlets reveal flashy headlines stating “research shows that” or “scientists have found out that”, it’s very easy to fall for them.

What we, as conscious carbon-based entities with a brain and body should be doing is- finding out the research reference. 

• Which paper does this article refer to? 
• Which journal was this published in? 
• What methodology did they use? 
• Is this finding justified?

This scrutiny is essential- not just for media coverage but for any published science. 

Exhibit A:  The mystery of Andrew Wakefield and his case series published in The Lancet, where a link between taking the vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) was falsely associated with autism.

As is evident today in the world of COVID-19, the last thing we need is anti-vaccine advocacy.

Is it all a bed of roses?

The only parts where I disconnected from this book were when he tore down certain people, like Dr. Gillian McKeith Ph.D. and Patrick Holford. While Ben tried to prove a point about how certain notable professionals are blabbering nonsense in public, I felt like it went on a rant tangent.

Nonetheless, his points make absolute sense. Here’s an excerpt to show you why:

“I first noticed Dr. Gillian McKeith styled, very strikingly, as a white-coated academic and scientific authority on nutrition, a ‘clinical nutritionist’ who was quoted recommending spinach, and the darker leaves on plants, because they contain more chlorophyll. According to McKeith these are ‘high in oxygen and will really oxygenate your blood.‘

Is chlorophyll high in oxygen? No. It helps to make oxygen. In sunlight. And it’s pretty dark in your bowels: in fact, if there’s any light in there at all, something’s gone badly wrong. So any chlorophyll you eat will not create oxygen, and even if it did, even if Dr. Keith Ph.D. stuck a searchlight right up your bum to prove her point, and your salad began photosynthesizing, even if she insufflated your guts with carbon dioxide through a tube, to give the chloroplasts something to work with, and by some miracle you really did start to produce oxygen in there, you still wouldn’t absorb a significant amount of it through your bowel, because your bowel is adapted to absorb food, while your lungs are optimized to absorb oxygen. You do not have gills in your bowel. Neither, since we’ve mentioned them, do fish.”

To bias or not to bias

There’s also a very interesting chapter (and perhaps my favorite one) about the different biases we have, and why clever people believe stupid things.

While I may not conform to Ben’s opinions on all subjects, it’s always great to take what you can in a wise man’s presence and leave peacefully. So if by any chance you end up buying the book after reading this review, don’t forget to thank your anchoring bias.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who wants to cut through the bullshit that’s sold in the name of “science” or someone who wants to have substantial dinner table conversations. Most importantly, it helps you be aware and see that science is not as scary as it seems. Just trust Ben- you don’t need to be a scientist to crack the code of quackery.

“And if by the end [of this book], you reckon you might still disagree with me, then I offer you this: you’ll still be wrong, but you’ll be wrong with a lot more panache and flair than you could possibly manage right now.”

Ben Goldacre, Bad Science