06 | Cooked: Vitamin B3 ... and the media

For episode six of Cooked, we turn the lens on … science communication itself.

We’re looking at how information travels from a scientific study to the world and what can go wrong along the way.

This is the final episode in our Cooked series. We'll be back in May for another series of Science Friction on a different topic — digital devices and how they're driving us to delight ... and to despair.

Statement from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in response to Science Friction.

Guests:

Isabelle Oderberg

Founder, Early Pregnancy Loss Coalition

Professor Claire Roberts

Lead, Pregnancy Health and Beyond Laboratory, Flinders University

Dr Georgia Dempster

Research Fellow, University of Melbourne

Dr Nazmul Karim

Senior Lecturer, Monash University

Credits:

• Presenter: Dr Emma Beckett • Producer: Carl Smith • Senior Producer: James Bullen • Sound Engineer: Tim Jenkins

This story was made on the lands of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri, Jagera and Turrbal peoples.

More information:

NAD Deficiency, Congenital Malformations, and Niacin Supplementation - New England Journal of Medicine, 2017.

Scientific research in news media: a case study of misrepresentation, sensationalism and harmful recommendations - Journal of Science Communication, 2022.

Vitamin profile of 563 gravidas during trimesters of pregnancy - Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2002.

Effect of maternal dietary niacin intake on congenital anomalies: a systematic review and meta-analysis - European Journal of Nutrition, 2021.

Pregnancy Double Discovery - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2017.

Statement regarding pregnancy discovery - Victor Change Cardiac Research Institute, 2017.

Vitamin B3 supplementation in pregnancy - NSW Health, 2017.

The 'vegemite cure' - the Sydney finding that could help women everywhere - ABC Sydney Drive, 2017.

Could vegemite prevent miscarriage? - Women's Health Melbourne.

Pregnant women shouldn’t start taking vitamin B3 just yet: reports it prevents miscarriage and birth defects are overblown - The Conversation, 2017.

Can a simple vitamin prevent miscarriages and birth defects? - The Australian, 2017.

The common vitamin that could be the key to preventing some cases of heart birth defects and miscarriages - Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, 2023.