The Wheat from the Chaff: Sorting Out Nutrition Information on the Internet

Abstract

Old adages have new application for the millions of people who tap into the Internet for nutrition knowledge. The overwhelming volume of information—and misinformation—proliferating in cyberspace presents a challenge to the dietetics profession. For example, an informal Internet search using the term “dietary supplements” turns up nearly 100,000 “hits,” or matches. Among these are excellent Web sites that provide reliable, useful information. But because no regulation exists to control the content of these Web sites, anybody can post anything. On one Web site purportedly operated by a physician, readers are warned of the alarming “fact” that all human beings live in a state of “subclinical scurvy.” With the virtual floodgates open to consumers hungry for nutrition data, dietetics professionals can expect to see increasing numbers of clients who have attempted to educate themselves through the Internet. According to market research firm Cyber Dialogue, 53.5 million US adults actively use the Internet, and more than 17 million of them are searching for medical or health information (E-mail communication, September 30, 1998). Dietitians, schooled in the science of nutrition, are in a unique position to act as filters to let sound nutrition information through to their clients while discarding the silt of nutrition misinformation.