But one thing we've learned, as a site that likes to publish reader-friendly science articles that link to these studies, is how much of the stuff that comes our way is, well, worthless. As it turns out, the problem is ...

Even if you're not all that into science, it's still a big part of the news that reaches you on a day-to-day basis -- you'll see interesting headlines about how studies show marijuana cures loneliness or how other studies say pot ruins your memory , and you kind of just assume they're true. If scientists say eating Cheerios will lower your cholesterol , you feel better about buying them. After all, if you can't trust scientists, who can you trust?

6 A Shocking Amount of Medical Research Is Complete Bullshit

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For all the advice they keep throwing at us from the field of medical science -- eat less meat, or more fiber, or fuck fewer drainpipes -- it may seem like medical research is moving forward at a breakneck pace. But then, why do so many health-food crazes seem to disappear as quickly as they arrived? Why do we still not know whether vitamin C can help cure your cold? Frighteningly enough, it's because most medical research is bullshit.

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You had the power to get a boner inside you all along!

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Don't take our word for it -- listen to Dr. John Ioannidis and his team of celebrated meta-researchers. Their job is to comb through all these awesome-sounding medical studies to assess their validity. And, surprise: Up to 90 percent are critically flawed in some way or another. If you're hoping this is contained to fringe, little-used research, find a new vessel for your misplaced hope. Ioannidis and his crew examined 49 of the most highly regarded medical findings in the last decade or so -- between a third and a half of them where straight-up wrong or highly exaggerated.

That's why all the stories about "promising new research" tend to come and go with the speed of Disney pop stars ("Take Omega-3 to prevent heart disease! Or don't! Who the fuck knows?"). And it isn't just the stuff that turns up on BuzzFeed: We're talking about the body of knowledge that your doctor relies on when prescribing drugs, giving advice on dietary habits, and recommending surgery, among other things.

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This is why all operating rooms now have a live feed of trending Twitter hash tags.

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How can so many studies be so badly flawed? Well ...