If a new study was done on a group that is very different from you and there is no research on more diverse populations, you should give it less weight than one which looks at people who are more similar to you or one which has a more diverse sample.

A less obvious factor to take into account when you look at new research is the make-up of the population who participated in the study. The large observational hormone replacement studies involved mainly white, middle class nurses — and the findings apply well to you if you happen to be a white, female, middle class health professional.

While many things can be generalized from one population to another, gender, race, class, occupation and many other individual characteristics can account for significantly different results.

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