If you read a study that said eating foods high in trans fats were associated with greater longevity and increased mental stamina in old age, what additional study information would you want to know in order to evaluate this finding?

Answer 1

You would want to understand more about how the study was conducted in order to evaluate whether or not the findings are generalizable to the larger population. You would want to know how many people were studied (10 individuals or thousands of people?) and for how long (1 day or over a period of years?) Was the sample representative in terms of the distribution of the subjects' ages, sexes, races, ethnicities, socioeconomic statuses, weights, health levels, and types of diet? How was longevity and mental stamina defined? What type of research design was used (experimental or correlational)? Finally, you would want to know who funded the research. Was it a well-respected medical hospital, or was it a group that has stock in a company that makes trans fat products?