http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?_r=2&em&ex=1192248000&en=9f36687fe8aef756&ei=5087%0A&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

In yesterday’s lecture, we began discussing information cascades. The above referenced New York Times article highlights a very interesting cascade whose effect can still be seen prevalent today. In his article, John Tierney discusses the book “Good Calories, Bad Calories” by Gary Taubes. In the book, Taubes describes an inaccurate cascade about heart disease that originated in the 1950s. At that time a diet researcher named Ancel Keys asserted that more Americans were suffering from heart disease due to an increase in the consumption of fat.

Taubes’ discovery reveals an alarmingly powerful cascade. A committee that included Dr. Keys effectively reversed the American Heart Association’s report about the link between fat and heart disease. This in turn led to similar assertions by a Senate committee report, the U.S.D.A.’s “food pyramid”, and the National Institution of Health. Researchers who pointed out that the claim lacked sufficient evidence were rebuked and alienated.

In light of this information, I would like to point out the significance of network position with respect to the cascade. Dr. Keys’ position as a committee member in the American Heart Association undoubtedly affected the magnitude of the cascade. When this association, a prominent figure in U.S. health circles, put out the report, it easily led other prominent groups (i.e. the U.S. Senate, the U.S.D.A.) to propagate the cascade. It thus seems clear that having a central role in a network lends a person power to initiate far-reaching information cascades.

In any case, Tierney asserts that cascades occur frequently in the field of medicine. We may all want to think twice next time we hear a health report, no matter how widespread it may be.