SELF HELP: How to spot fake news

Fake health news is the bane of my life and there’s a lot of it about. Here’s how to go about dismissing it.

Look past the headline. They only tell you part of the story. Check the details – is it just at the lab research stage or is it actually being used to treat patients? Quotes from other researchers give balance.

Check for evidence. Extraordinary claims need extraordinary evidence behind them. Remember people’s stories alone do not qualify as scientific evidence. A good place to start is the Cancer Research UK website/blog: cruk.org/blog

Follow the money. I’m always sceptical about research funded by industry and you should be too. Money for research from sources like the tobacco industry can influence the results.

Look at the numbers The larger the number of people involved in a study the more reliable the results are likely to be. Ignore low numbers.