Opinion: Short-term diet trials are designed to fail

Imagine a clinical trial with sedentary, overweight adults. One group is assigned to remain sedentary, the other to undergo intensive physical training with daily runs, calisthenics, and sports. After a week or two, the training group would probably feel sore and tired, and their endurance might be reduced. But we wouldn’t conclude that physical activity is bad for health. Clearly, we’d need a better, longer study to see the benefits.

Unfortunately, this is the exact approach taken in the clinical trials at the heart of the $170 million Nutrition for Precision Health program, as we consider in a paper published Tuesday in the BMJ, the British Medical Journal.  

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