Contact
lightseydavidm@gmail.com
David has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Human Nutrition, Exercise Physiology, and Biology from Long Beach State University (1981). His experience in the field includes the following:
Experience
Twenty years as a nutrition science advisor for the National Council Against Health Fraud as well as with Quackwatch.org. His role with both organizations was to respond to health misinformation in the media and act as an objective source of sound human performance and nutrition science information to inquiries from the media, athletic organizations, educators, universities, etc.
Seven-years directing a full Exercise Physiology Lab (metabolic lab) for a large medical practice.
Fifteen-years as an adjunct college nutrition instructor.
Thirty-years in the physical rehabilitation / sports medicine field.
Since 2019, he has been providing commentaries related to counterfeit and junk-science issues for the American Council on Science and Health as well as WND.com since 2017.
Voting member with the Creation Research Society since 2000.
Two nationally recognized consumer advocates, Stephen Barrett MD of Quackwatch.org, and Victor Herbert MD, JD of Mount Sinai School of Medicine, have described his consumer education work in sports nutrition quackery as “the most thorough investigation” identifying the deceptive marketing methods used by the sport supplement industry to exploit and fleece consumers, in their book The Vitamin Pushers.
Published work
Second book: The Myths About Nutrition Science. December 2, 2019 by Routledge
Description and table of contents here. https://www.routledge.com/The-Myths-About-Nutrition-Science/Lightsey/p/book/9780367354299
Peer reviews:
American Council on Science and Health:
https://www.acsh.org/news/2020/02/25/confused-about-obesity-supplements-and-organic-food-heres-handbook-busting-nutrition-myths-14589
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior Volume 53, Number 7, 2021
Summary:
There is much to learn from these and other chapters. Topics covered include why the media are unreliable; how the organic food market was “fabricated”; misconceptions about protein needs of athletes and chemicals in foods; genetically engineered food; and the ever-popular antiinflammatory, detox, and ketogenic diets. Every nutrition professional will find plenty of answers to the myriad of questions their patients, clients, and even friends and family members ask on a regular basis.
Overall, despite the book’s small print, I highly recommend it to all nutrition professionals. Indeed, we must all do a better job dispelling these pervasive myths and fighting the “unreliable media.” This book is a wonderful place to start.
Marjorie R. Freedman, PhD, Department of Nutrition, Food Science, and Packaging, San Jose State University, One Washington Square, San Jose, CA 95192
Doody’s Review Service
Reviewer: Amy Hess Fischl, MS RDN LDN BC-ADM CDCES(University of Chicago Medical Center)
Description: This concise book focuses exclusively on the most common nutrition misconceptions among the public today. Chapters are broken down into sections, each of which tackles a different topic and dispels the myths surrounding it with sufficient references. This is a first edition book, but the author has been dispelling nutrition myths on his website for years.
Purpose: The main purpose is to provide some clarity about the very confusing nutrition misinformation that abounds today. Given that a day does not go by without a patient asking about some misinformation they heard or read about, this certainly is a worthy objective for a book. While this book has fewer than 230 pages, it does a good job focusing on the popular myths with clear information to dispel them.
Features: This no-frills book has 12 chapters focusing on 12 different topics and ending with final comments/main take-home messages and "notes" that include references. The topics are more athlete-heavy, which is understandable since that is the author's main area. The chapter on protein and the athlete is particularly interesting. In it, the author goes into great detail about "7 misconceptions" about protein, specifically explaining why protein supplements do not lead to maximum muscle development and why athletes feel they perform better after protein supplements. He explains physiology in a way that is easy for consumers to understand. Chapters also cover organic food, pesticides, keto diets, and the media. The author notes: "The media may not be reliable in separating fact from fiction, so be cautious with the information gleaned from them." The author has very strong opinions but does provide credible references to back them up. The entire book includes 13 figures and one table.
Assessment: While this book may not be useful in a classroom, it is an interesting read for anyone who wants to gain a little more insight into the myths and facts of nutrition.
First book: "Muscles Speed and Lies - What the Sport Supplement Industry Does Not Want Athletes' or Consumers to Know."
The International Olympic Committee:
Chose this book to be included in "the most important bibliography of the holdings of the IOC Medical Commission Collection of Sports Medicine for reference texts and scientific journals published until 2010."
The American College of Sports Medicine review:
Reviewer: Mark E. Lavallee, MD, CSCS, FACSM (Memorial Sports Medicine Institute). Description: This book will enlighten readers about the often-murky world of the sports supplement industry.
Purpose: The author's purpose is three-fold: first, to expose the sport supplement industry's history of lies, deceit, and greed, similar to Ralph Nader's campaign that exposed the safety concerns of the Corvair; second, to educate athlete-consumers on the real science behind vitamins, carbohydrates, protein, antioxidants, and other supplements; and, finally, to give athlete-consumers some practical applications and ways to apply the information to their lives.
Assessment: This well written book keeps readers' attention while discussing very eloquently the science of nutrition and the myths revolving around the supplement industry. The author accomplishes the difficult task of addressing two different groups with this book: the athlete and the more educated sports science/sports medicine student. This book parallels Faust's Gold: Inside the East German Doping Machine by Steven Ungerleider (St. Martin's Press, 2001) which exposed the doping issues associated with East German athletes in the 1970s and 1980s.
Media and consultation work examples
Media:
American Council on Scieence and Health (2019 - current)
WND.com (2017 - current)
Genetic Literacy Project
Real Clear Science
Food Safety Magazine
NBC Dateline (Hype In A Bottle – 1996)
CBS Evening News (steroid issue and Major League Baseball)
Dole Nutrition Institute
ESPN Outside-The-Lines
Sports on Earth / USA Today
Boston’s Channel 7
CNN
CBS This Morning
Peer Review Journal Publications:
British Journal of Cancer
The Lancet
National Strength and Conditioning Association Journal
American Journal of Emergency Medicine
Rehabilitation Today
Circulation
Physician and Sports Medicine Journal
New York State Medical Journal
PLOS.One
Nutrition Science News
Newspapers and Magazines:
Creation Magazine
Progressive Dairyman
San Francisco Examiner
The Washington Post
Denver Post
Boulder Daily News
Boston Globe
New York Daily News
Runner’s World Magazine
San Diego Tribune
Parade Magazine
Lectures:
Nutrition Quackery Prevention Task Force’s 14th Anniversary, Loma Linda University
PAC-10 Team Physician and Head Athletic Trainers Conference
National Athletic Trainers Association Meeting
2000 Physical Education, Athletic Coaching, and Health Workshop, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo State University
University of Northridge Sports Medicine Night
58th Annual, Postgraduate Convention, of the School of Medicine of Loma Linda University
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Private Organization Assistance:
San Francisco Forty-Niners (1998-2005)
Declaration to the Superior Court of California (1998)
Law Firm of Leopold, Petrich & Smith of Los Angeles, CA.
New York Department of Consumer Affairs