Brain Test

[Gordon Booth]

Retlaw, I was going to try it but I'm a bit nervous of giving a commercial site my name, date of birth and email address. Am I being a bit paranoid or am I opening the door to lots of spam?
My wife says I don't need to do it, she's already decided what the result would be! Where's the B12?

[Margaret Pilkington]

It looks like this company doing the research might just have a commercial interest.

They may make money out of scaring people into thinking their risks are increased.

[MargaretR]

Iv'e had a good look around and can't find they are selling anything.
It just seems they are advising on nutrition and its essential role in good health, mental and physical.

[Margaret Pilkington]

I saw something about Declaration of Interest....and then on a different page there was a table of suggested dosages for vitamin supplements to keep homocysteine levels in check.....it was these that sent my suspicion motor into overdrive.

Having checked a bit further, it does seem that the research is funded by charity.

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

Retlaw, I was going to try it but I'm a bit nervous of giving a commercial site my name, date of birth and email address. Am I being a bit paranoid or am I opening the door to lots of spam?
My wife says I don't need to do it, she's already decided what the result would be! Where's the B12?

I was asked my name & birth date, do you think I answered those questions with my true information.
Didn't know your wife had medical qualifications.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

Having checked a bit further, it does seem that the research is funded by charity.

There is nothing to prevent commercial organisations form donating to a charity if they think they might benefit commercially from the results.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

I was asked my name & birth date, do you think I answered those questions with my true information.
Didn't know your wife had medical qualifications.

So if you didn't give your accurate date of birth, then to some extent, you have already 'skewed' some of the data that they are collecting.
OK, so your name may not be that important, but if you have done that then how many others have answered the questions with false answers?

[Retlaw]

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

So if you didn't give your accurate date of birth, then to some extent, you have already 'skewed' some of the data that they are collecting.
OK, so your name may not be that important, but if you have done that then how many others have answered the questions with false answers?

I only changed my date of birth by one year and a couple of months, don't see how that could make that much difference at 80.
Retlaw

[MargaretR]

People enjoy doing 'tests' - could be that nothing is done with the info. It could just be a ruse to get people to direct others to that site.

Which is what happened, didn't it?

I get amusement from giving obscure answers to some questions when I realise that the purpose of the question has no sound basis (as I did with the census)

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by Retlaw

I only changed my date of birth by one year and a couple of months, don't see how that could make that much difference at 80.
Retlaw

At your age, they will be interested in your results purely because of your age.

And while it may not seem to make much difference, but having been involved in some research projects, I can tell you that it does when it comes to the publication of the statistics from the study.(you are not party to the research criteria)

The chances are, if you have done it then others have too, which in essence, may make the information generated, useless.

[Margaret Pilkington]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

People enjoy doing 'tests' - could be that nothing is done with the info. It could just be a ruse to get people to direct others to that site.

Which is what happened, didn't it?

I get amusement from giving obscure answers to some questions when I realise that the purpose of the question has no sound basis (as I did with the census)

Margaret, that is true, but this survey is on quite a serious subject, one which some testers may get worried if they are proven to have adverse results.

[ossylass]

This test is hardly a case of "giving obscure answers", it's more comparing diagrams and sequences of letters, etc.

[MargaretR]

Originally Posted by ossylass

This test is hardly a case of "giving obscure answers", it's more comparing diagrams and sequences of letters, etc.

I didn't take this test - I was referring to those 'tests' often put in Anything Goes for amusement purposes

[cashman]

Originally Posted by Gordon Booth

Retlaw, I was going to try it but I'm a bit nervous of giving a commercial site my name, date of birth and email address. Am I being a bit paranoid or am I opening the door to lots of spam?
My wife says I don't need to do it, she's already decided what the result would be! Where's the B12?

i was gonna have a do until i noticed that, aint a matter of being scared, i will not give personal info to any site unless absolutely necessary simple as, n giving false details aint my bag.i get enough junk calls,e-mails, mail, to last a lifetime.

[sm_counsell]

Originally Posted by MargaretR

One important detail I learned during my research into B12 deficiency was -
swallowing a B complex vitamin pill is not much good, because the absorption of B12 from the digestive tract is dependant on the patient having an 'intrinsic factor' in their stomach.
Production of this intrinsic factor reduces with age, (and is totally absent in a person with pernicious anaemia.)
The use of acid supressing medication also inhibits absorption.

There are only 2 ways to be sure of getting enough B12 in your system - bypass digestion by -
1 - injection
2 - absorb through the lining of the mouth

When you consider item 2 and explore how it works, you will be more selective about what you put there!
(Of course this means looking at the ingredients of your toothpaste and mouthwash)

Margaret, I always look for toothpaste without sodium Lauryl Sulphate, is there anything else I should watch out for?