I agree with your ethos; too often poor science, regardless of kind, is being passed as "soft" or "applied" scientific research.
That said, I do think even noisy studies (noisy as in inaccurate measurements) like this at least show that there is no glaring big correlation between, say, low-carb diet and mortality. If low-carb diet people started to die decades younger than average, then even noisy studies would show. In this sense, studies like this have some value, albeit little.
That said, I do think even noisy studies (noisy as in inaccurate measurements) like this at least show that there is no glaring big correlation between, say, low-carb diet and mortality. If low-carb diet people started to die decades younger than average, then even noisy studies would show. In this sense, studies like this have some value, albeit little.