From the Times Online – the release of the The Celebrities and Science Review – for 2009!
A compendium of cod science and misconceptions espoused by celebrities is published today, with the likes of Roger Moore, Heather Mills and Shilpa among the worst offenders.
The Celebrities and Science Review 2009, published by the charity Sense about Science, highlights unfounded claims by Moore, the former James Bond actor, that foie gras causes Alzheimer’s disease, while Heather Mills suggests that meat putrifies in your stomach for 40 years and gives you “the illness that you die of”.
Having spent some time helping investigate the claims of Dore and how celebrity-support – especially by sportspeople – has contributed to its pseudoscientific-based impact on the pockets of parents, the more of this sort of document gets out, the better.
The ASA smackdown on Dore’s advertised claims is only the start of how people can question what is being foisted upon them, so do subscribe to Sense about Science, no matter where in the world you are – they even have contact details if you’re a scientist who wishes to help out, or a celebrity who wants to convey the facts when they’re asked for an opinion on a science-based issue.
What’s new in the review of 2009?
- We were disappointed to note that, for the first time, sporting names are prominent in the review, particularly for endorsing unproven therapies. Over 2010, we will be taking the ‘check your facts’ message into the sporting world, in an effort to turn this around so that UK athletes will lead on scientific sense in the 2012 Olympics.
- Overall, the main message from scientists to celebrities this year is nutrition is neither the cure nor cause of everything. We have seen a flurry of comments about diet and nutrition, such as Roger Moore’s claim that foie gras is causing Alzheimer’s disease and Heather Mills’ claim that meat gives you “the illness you die of”.
- In the 2008 Celebrities and Science review, we were tentatively optimistic that celebrities had dropped their enthusiasm for ‘chemical free’ products and lifestyles. Sadly, like shoulder pads and mini-skirts, ‘chemical free’ claims never really go away and in 2009 we have seen renewed calls to avoid deodorants and the pill because they ‘contain chemicals’. Once again this year, scientists are stressing that nothing is chemical free and the effect of specific chemicals depends on the dose.
You can download the full document (pdf) on the site by Sense about Science.
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