Science Check: Gut and Physiology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride
Number of citations checked: 212
Number of pages read: 50
Fidelity score: 2.4
Summary: This is a follow-up book by the creator of the GAPS diet. Most claims in the book are not supported (or are directly contradicted) by the sources it cites. For example, the book states that people who do not produce enough GABA are "prone to drug and alcohol abuse" (p. 28). However, the source was a small study (23 persons) and does not refer to "drugs" or "alcohol" at all. In fact, the study excluded anyone with a history of substance abuse disorder or substance dependence. This pattern appears frequently, with bold statements contradicted in a similar way by the very scientific evidence it uses.
Takeaway: Severe accuracy concerns for science translation and citation practices.
What does a book's fidelity score mean?
The fidelity score measures how faithfully the book translates the sources it cites.
- A fidelity score can tell you how the book translates what a given source actually says and whether the source type can support the claim it's attached to.
- It cannot tell you whether the underlying science is sound, whether the protocol works, or whether the book is overall trustworthy.
- It can show how a book uses the appearance of science to lend legitimacy to its program.
- It cannot show how many claims the book contains that should have been cited but weren't.
- These are not whole-book fact checks.
How the takeaway is scored
Fidelity scores range from 0 to 3.0. When it comes to how these books use science and research to support their claims, here’s the Factual Wellness ranking:
- 0.3 or less = generally accurate
- 0.4 – 0.9 = moderate accuracy concerns
- >1 = serious accuracy concerns
- 2+ = severe accuracy concerns