Diet is a complex variable. Epidemiological studies are trying to associate food intake with disease, by evaluating absolute amounts of nutrients consumed during defined observation periods, which may sound scientific and exact, but is far from both. This is not a review that enumerates the pitfalls of such studies, starting with cultural specifics, genetic make-up and individual compliance or rather the lack of it. There are few data to support the benefits of eating a diverse diet, containing certain foods; nevertheless, there are numerous public health recommendations (which sometimes do not differ very much from what our grandmothers knew, quite some time ago!). Recommendations evolve and change, because we tend to believe in trendy advice, based on studies that have a tendency to be incomplete or eventually outright wrong.
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