Studies

I felt compelled to respond to the questions about the validity of studies. Especially since it's come up before. Yes, you can always point to studies that contradict each other. Before you make a decision based on a new study that's come out you have to keep a few things in mind.

Who funded the study? (If for example, a cigarette company is the one who paid for a study and it finds that cigarettes are actually quite healthy, you might question the results of that study.) How does it compare with other studies on the same subject and if it has a very different result than previous studies, WHY? What kind of methods did they use to determine the results? Do they adequately explain the reasons they came to a different conclusion? Usually they will explain how they obtained their info (briefly)--if I can come up with other explanations for the results I question the study. It can be very difficult to draw conclusions. For example,
"the problem with a study that compared, say, kids who ride to school in a Mercedes with kids who ride the bus. The data would no doubt show that Mercedes kids are more likely to score high on their SATs, go to college, and go on to high-paying jobs. None of that has anything to do with the car, but the comparison would make it look as if it did. "
from The Benefits of Bozo:Proof that tv doesn't harm kids (http://www.slate.com/id/2136372/ ) (and I don't completely agree with that study's conclusion!)
You have to keep things like that in mind when you read studies. There's always going to be some information that you don't know, that maybe you can't know. But you do the best you can with the info you are given. The more you read, the better position you are in to make an informed decision.
Also, the study often shows general results. As in the case of the breastfeeding & heart health study, it shows a reduced risk of heart disease for women who breastfeed. That doesn't mean if you breastfeed there is no way you will ever contract heart disease. There are other factors that affect your chances. This is true for all studies. And just because you know someone who contradicts the results of the study does not make the study untrue. Hopefully it will give you a healthy skepticism. It doesn't mean that you automatically throw out the results of the study. Everyone knows someone who chain smoked and drank and ate fatty horrible foods their whole life and still lived to be 100. Or the health nut who died early. It happens. That doesn't mean you should ignore good advice.