Does Coffee Cause Cancer? And 8 More Myths about the Food We Eat is a 2023 book by Canadian cardiologist Christopher Labos. It presents information about nine health myth through a series of conversations between fictional characters.
 | |
| Author | Christopher Labos |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Medicine and health |
| Genre | Non fiction |
| Publisher | ECW Press |
Publication date | 31 October 2023 |
| Publication place | Canada |
| Pages | 304 |
| ISBN | 9781770417229 |
| Website | ECW Press |
The book uses a fictional story to present and dispel misconceptions around nine topics related to food science.[1][2]
The book aims to explain why food science is complex and to debunk some of the food myths that permeate society, with an evolving relationship as a narrative. Labos' publisher suggested he emulate the fictional style of The Wealthy Barber. He ended up developing a nine-chapter story arc featuring conversations between fictional characters that mirror exchanges that Labos had with acquaintances in real life.[1][2][3][4]
The chapters tell a continuous romantic story involving conversations between the protagonist and other people with whom he discussed various health topics.[5][6] Mathematical and methodological discussions are appended to the text, on topics such as demographic selection and p-hacking.[3]
Labos is hoping to write a sequel, for which he wrote a sample chapter.[2]
Topics
editThe book covers nine topics presented as myths.[7]
- Vitamin C fights the common cold.
- Hot dogs are as bad as cigarettes.
- Some salt is good for you.
- Coffee causes cancer
- Red wine's good for you heart
- Chocolate is health food
- Breakfast's the most important meal of the day
- Caffeine can trigger heart attacks
- Vitamin D is the cure for everything
Reception
editThe reviews published in local and specialized publications were positive, noting the narrative structure and the informational content.
In The Suburban, Mike Cohen calls it a "fascinating, refreshingly clarifying new book".[4]
On AIPT Science, Adrienne Hill highlights the efforts made by Labos to make the science accessible: "The explanations are straightforward, using analogies to help understand counterintuitive reasoning and conclusions, with a good dose of humor intermixed."[3]
In the Miramichi Reader, Lisa Timpf focused on the readability of the text for a wide audience: "Snappy dialogue, humorous misunderstandings, and some mild teasing about statistics are some of the avenues Labos uses to deliver a laugh."[8]
References
edit- ^ a b Brian Kerby (15 December 2023). "Round Two ~ more about "Does Coffee Cause Cancer" plus this year in Cardiology". 502 Conversations (Podcast). Dedham TV. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b c Hill, Adrienne (17 December 2023). Dr. Christopher Labos - Extended interview. 17th of December 2023. Skeptic Zone Podcast (Podcast).
- ^ a b c Hill, Adrienne (13 December 2023). "'Does Coffee Cause Cancer?' highlights poor science communication". AIPT. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ a b Cohen, Mike (3 January 2024). "Dr. Christopher Labos' first book is educational, funny and a bit romantic". The Suburban. Archived from the original on 7 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
- ^ Howick, Andrea (1 November 2023). "Busting food myths". Global News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Takahashi, Mutsumi (1 November 2023). "Does Coffee Cause Cancer? A love story". CTV News. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
- ^ Labos, Christopher (31 October 2023). Does Coffee Cause Cancer. ECW Press. ISBN 9781770417229.
- ^ Timpf, Lisa (8 October 2023). "Does Coffee Cause Cancer? And 8 More Myths About the Food We Eat, by Dr. Christopher Labos". The Miramichi Reader. Archived from the original on 7 February 2024. Retrieved 12 February 2024.