Author archives: Selena Ryan-Vig

Probiotics, prebiotics & synbiotics: the evidence behind the claims

Many health claims are made about probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics. In some cases, there’s evidence that they may be helpful - but there’s a lack of evidence to support other claims. This blog by Cochrane UK’s Selena Ryan-Vig, focuses mainly on probiotics and looks at the evidence behind their use for various health conditions, explaining where 1) they may have some benefits; 2) they may not be worthwhile and 3) the evidence is uncertain - so we’re unsure whether or not they’re helpful.

Experiencing Evidently Cochrane blogs: uncertainty, suffering and solidarity

Recently, Cochrane UK undertook some qualitative work to explore what the comments posted on Evidently Cochrane blogs might tell us about what readers get from our blogs. In this blog, the Editors of Evidently Cochrane, Sarah Chapman and Selena Ryan-Vig, and qualitative researcher Fran Toye, talk about the methods they used, the insights they gained, and the subsequent changes made to the blogs to make them more useful to readers.