No reported cases?… Ever, anywhere, anytime?…

Here is something I think is worth noting when reading articles of a generally scientific nature, especially when / if the possibility of side effects of a given substance is being address. When / if you read somewhere something akin to:

“There are no reported cases of X, Y or Z from consuming substance A, B or C” and there is not supporting scientific substantiation (internal citations), I would be wary.

I say this for a couple reasons:

This statement presumes that you should put all your trust the author as an authority when it comes to this point. In the case of micronutrients or sports supplements, for instance, there would likely be multiple reviews and / or position stands on substance A, B and/or C.

This is an absolute statement that really suggests omniscient knowledge, i.e., that the author has essentially infinite knowledge of all potential sources of a case report of X, Y and Z.

A big deal?… Maybe. Maybe not. Is the author trying to be deceptive?… Maybe… Maybe not. Is the author trying to sell you something? Maybe… But if an author were to simply note that he/ she doesn’t know of any reported cases of X, Y or Z, and including references to substantiate that he / she has looked into the issue, engenders a bit more trust in my mind.