{"podcast":{"title":"Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious Statistics","slug":"normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156","podcast_index_feed_id":7212156,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/normal-curves","website_url":"https://www.normalcurves.com/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/3nh-QbnGiyC0kG4tQRWb4fTYyDh5wonK_KZjqlkFNSY/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9hYmEw/YmE3N2JmMDhmNjli/YTg2MjhlOTQ0OGU4/Yzg2OC5wbmc.jpg","author":"Regina Nuzzo","episode_count":38,"summary":"Normal Curves is a podcast about sexy science & serious statistics. Ever try to make sense of a scientific study and the numbers behind it? Listen in to a lively conversation between two stats-savvy friends who break it all down with humor and clarity. Professors Regina Nuzzo of Gallaudet University and Kristin Sainani of Stanford University discuss academic papers journal club-style — except with more fun, less jargon, and some irreverent, PG-13 content sprinkled in. Join Kristin and Regina as they dissect the data, challenge the claims, and arm you with tools to assess scientific studies on your own.","last_synced_at":"2026-06-30T00:19:09.554623+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156"},"episode":{"title":"Bonus: Vitamin D Part 1 with commentary","slug":"bonus-vitamin-d-part-1-with-commentary","published_at":"2025-12-29T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/bonus-vitamin-d-part-1-with-commentary","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156","url":"https://www.normalcurves.com/bonus-vitamin-d-part-1-with-commentary","audio_url":"https://op3.dev/e/media.transistor.fm/ca69b332/705c327a.mp3","summary":"While we’re on a short break between seasons, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from Season 1. This week, we’re re-releasing our deep dive into vitamin D and the origins of the so-called deficiency epidemic, with added commentary. Is America really facing an epidemic of vitamin D deficiency? While this claim is widely believed, the story behind it is packed with twists, turns, and some pesky statistical cockroaches. In this episode, we’ll dive into a study on Hawaiian surfers, expose how shifting goalposts can create an epidemic, tackle dueling medical guidelines, and flex our statistical sleuthing skills. By the end, you might wonder if the real deficiency lies in the data. Statistical topics conflicts of interest cut points and thresholds dichotomization incentives in science measurement and classification normal distribution researcher biases standard deviation statistical sleuthing Methodologic morals “Arbitrary thresholds make for arbitrary diseases.” “Statistical errors are like cockroaches: Where there’s one, there’s many.” Note that all blood vitamin D levels discussed in the podcast are 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels given in units of ng/ml. To convert from ng/ml to nmol/L, use the formula: nmol/L=2.5*ng/ml. For example, a vitamin D level of 30 ng/mL corresponds to 75 nmol/L. Citations Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Micronutrients for Health & Longevity . Huberman Lab Podcast . May 1, 2022 Noh CK, Lee MJ, Kim BK, et al. A Case of Nutritional Osteomalacia in Young Adult Male . J Bone Metab . 2013; 20:51-55. Binkley N, Novotny R, Krueger D, et al. Low vitamin D status despite abundant sun exposure . J Clin Endocrinol Metab . 2007;92:2130-5. Malabanan A, Veronikis IE, Holick MF. Redefining Vitamin D Insufficiency . Lancet . 1998;351:805-6. Dawson-Hughes B, Hean…","meta_description":"While we’re on a short break between seasons, we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes from Season 1. This week, we’re re-releasing our deep dive in…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":4989,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/episodes/bonus-vitamin-d-part-1-with-commentary/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/normal-curves-sexy-science-serious-statistics-7212156/bonus-vitamin-d-part-1-with-commentary.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}