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30 modern health myths debunked with new research
Whether it’s cracking knuckles, sleeping with wet hair, or the infamous 5-second rule, we all know at least a couple of old wives tales about keeping ourselves healthy, but how many of them are legitimate?
Well, it turns out that more than just a few popular health and fitness myths have either been entirely debunked thanks to modern research, some of which may surprise you.
Myth 1: Cracking your knuckles will lead to arthritis
Cracking knuckles can be a rather infuriating trait if you must hear it all day every day. But, despite the pleadings of annoyed coworkers or family members, it wont lead to arthritis. The cracking sound is simply nitrogen air bubbles being popped in the joints and has no impact on arthritis rates later on in life so crack on.
Myth 2: Sleeping with wet hair causes you to catch a cold
You catch a cold when a virus enters your body, so simply going to sleep with wet hair isnt going to increase your chances of falling ill. However, sleeping with wet hair will lead to a wet pillow, which is more likely to breed bacteria that can lead to things like acne and fungal scalp infections so its probably not a good idea either way.
Myth 3: You should always peel fruits and vegetables
Washing fruits and vegetables properly is enough to remove most of the excess dirt, but peeling absolutely everything means that youll be missing out on beneficial nutrients that the outer layers contain. For example, an unpeeled apple can contain up to 332% more vitamin K, 142% more vitamin A, 115% more vitamin C, and 20% more calcium than a peeled apple.
Myth 4: The infamous 5-second rule for dropped food
Bacteria doesnt wait five seconds before jumping on dropped food, the transfer happens instantaneously. That being said, whether you choose to eat dropped food entirely depends on the type of food and the ground itself Id probably be alright eating a grape thats fallen onto my kitchen floor, but Id probably steer clear of lollipops dropped on the carpet, for example.
Myth 5: Applying ice cubes directly to painful skin burns
Applying ice cubes to burns can actually do more harm than good as the rapid changing of temperature can lead to frostbite-type effects on the skin. If you suffer a mild burn in the kitchen, you should instead be placing the burn under running cold water for several minutes and applying an antibiotic ointment.
Myth 6: Eating garlic helps ward off mosquitos
Mosquitos are attracted to carbon dioxide, with little to no evidence to suggest that eating garlic will help keep the little blighters away from you for longer. In fact, a 2005 study found that garlic-eating participants got bitten the same amount of times by mosquitos as people who hadnt eaten the odourful vegetable which sounds like a fun study to be part of.
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Myth 7: You need to drink 8 glasses of water each day
There is no need to keep track of how much H20 you drink per day, simply listen to your body; in fact, your body has an amazing way of telling you to drink more water, its called thirst. Water-rich foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as drinks like tea, coffee, and juice all help you quench your thirst drinking too much water under the assumption that you need to get to 8 glasses isnt going to get you anywhere, aside from a bathroom.
Myth 8: You need to take a daily multivitamin to be healthy
The idea that daily multivitamins are the secret to living a healthy lifestyle is completely bogus. If a medical professional has advised you to take a daily multivitamin, listen to them and follow their instructions for everyone else, the benefits of taking supplements can be achieved by simply having a balanced diet.
Myth 9: Eating sugary foods causes hyperactivity
Whilst kids shouldnt be eating excessive amounts of sugary foods anyway, the idea that it leads to hyperactivity isnt wholly based on factual evidence. In fact, the entire concept can be traced back to a poorly conducted research in the 1970s, with many subsequent studies failing to prove that sugar directly leads to increased hyperactivity.
Myth 10: Microwaving food reduces its nutritional value
There is no scientific evidence that suggests microwaving your food reduces the nutritional value compared to alternative options. Cooking in general reduces a food’s nutritional value with temperature, time and method of cooking being the main factors. As microwave cooking times are generally shorter and use lower temperatures than other forms of cooking, this means fewer nutrients are lost from shorter heat exposure.
Myth 11: Eating eggs increases your blood cholesterol
Whilst egg yolks do contain cholesterol, eating one or two per day doesnt raise the risk of heart disease in healthy people. There is even some evidence to suggest that eggs, specifically nutrients like the omegas-3s, may actually lower the risk of heart disease.
Myth 12: 10,000 steps a day is a requirement for getting fitter
The 10,000 steps a day phenomenon actually came from a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer company back in the 1960s, not a legitimate scientific study. Whilst you should be walking as much as possible, getting up to around 7,000-8,000 steps per day is enough for most people to see notable health benefits.
You must also remember that exercise isnt one-size-fits-all and walking 10,000 steps a day is not enough by itself for you to get healthy, it needs to be accompanied by other forms of exercise and most importantly, a balanced diet.
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Myth 13: Public bathroom toilet seats will make you sick
Whilst public bathrooms tend to be less hygienic than your home throne, simply sitting on a public toilet seat isnt enough to pick up an infection or disease as many people believe. In truth, you are far more likely to pick up an infection or disease from other parts of public bathrooms like door handles and sink faucets than the seat itself.
As noted by Gleneagles General Hospital, the skin on your bottom will probably invite fewer germs into your body than your hands, which are more likely to have little cuts and scrapes on them, and which you use to touch your eyes, nose or mouth.
Myth 14: Organic foods are better for you than processed produce
Whilst there is some evidence to suggest that organic produce is better for you, theres just not enough scientific proof to indicate that organic is superior to conventionally farmed foods for consumers. Similarly, conventionally farmed foods are known to have slightly higher exposure residue to synthetic pesticides, but the levels of residue and impact on consumer health remain unclear.
Myth 15: Natural sugars are infinitely better than refined sugars
Sugar is sugar, and your body processes natural sugars in exactly the same way as refined sugars the more important aspect is how much you are consuming in relation to your diet. Importantly, many consumers are often fooled by food companies by having natural sugar and fancy names plastered over the packaging again, sugar is sugar and its all digested the same way.
Myth 16: Drinking coffee stunts your growth
This myth is a rather unusual one as no one is really sure where the idea that drinking coffee stunts your growth came from genetics determines your height, not what you drink during adolescence. As defined by Harvard University, there is no scientifically valid evidence to suggest that coffee can stunt a person’s growth.”
Myth 17: GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms) cause cancer
When Genetically Modified Organisms first entered the news cycle some 30 years ago, people across the country panicked thinking that these GMOs would lead to increased cancer rates. Not only is there no scientific evidence to suggest this, but a giant meta-analysis from 2012 came to the conclusion that GM plants are nutritionally equivalent to their non-GM counterparts and can be safely used in food [for people] and feed [for animals].”
Myth 18: Antiperspirants cause breast cancer
Back when antiperspirants were starting to be a common household product, there was a concern that the chemicals could be absorbed through your skin and could lead to tumors in breast tissue. As stated by the National Cancer Research Institute, there is no evidence to suggest that antiperspirants lead to increased rates of breast cancer.
Myth 19: Eating breakfast means youll lose weight
Everyone has different morning routines and schedules to keep track of, meaning that its not 100% necessary for everyone to eat breakfast if they want to lose weight. A Cornell University study found that non-breakfast eaters didnt overeat during lunch or dinner, meaning that skipping breakfast may help some healthy people shed a few pounds.
Myth 20: You need cleansing juices to detox the body
Whilst so-called wellness experts will promote cleansing juices as the be-all and -end-all to a healthy lifestyle, the truth is that your body naturally cleanses itself and these juices are often just a big waste of money. Your body is basically one giant filtration system, honed and improved over millions of years of evolution and the only place some miracle $20 cleansing juice is going to work is your bank account.
Myth 21: Men are more susceptible to heart disease than women
Heart disease is one of the biggest killers in the US each year, with the main difference between men and women being that women tend to be impacted later in life after hitting menopause. Its not that men are more susceptible, its that heart disease is more likely to be misdiagnosed and mismanaged in women before reaching a menopausal age, leading to excess deaths.
Dr Nisha Jhalani told Health Matters that Women are actually more likely than men to die of their heart attack and are also more likely to have a silent heart attack or have atypical symptoms of a heart attack& After menopause, the rate of heart disease is the same or greater for women as it is in men.
Myth 22: Special superfoods can help burn fat in the body
Sorry wellness influencers, there arent any foods that burn fat or increase metabolism enough to impact weight loss. Diets that focus on things like grapefruit, cayenne pepper or vinegar are promoted as being fat-burning superfoods, but these can often restrict other nutrients that you need for a healthy diet. They also give a false sense of weight loss due to calorie restriction, which bounces back after you stop said diet meaning youve wasted time, effort, and money.
Myth 23: Going gluten-free is always better for you than normal dieting
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye and whilst many dieters will swear by the daily routine of going gluten-free, you dont need to avoid such foods if you dont have something like celiac disease or an intolerance already.
In fact, many manufacturers will replace the gluten in foods with additional sugar, salt or refined starches in order to promote them as gluten-free, so make sure you are checking the packages of such products first.
Myth 24: Exercise has to last 30 minutes for it to count
Whilst its always better to exercise for as long as you are physically capable, there are forms of High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) that can have fantastic health benefits without needing prolonged periods of free time. The most important thing is that your exercise is routine and every week; either hitting a 150-minute target for moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intense exercise.
Myth 25: Consuming alkaline foods and drinks reduces your bodys acidity
Whilst alkaline diets are relatively quite healthy, the idea that this reduces the bodys acidity is a complete myth. Your body is adept at balancing the two thanks to millions of years of evolution, and if it wasnt able to balance them by itself youd be extremely ill already.
Myth 26: MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) causes cancer
MSG has been linked to things like obesity and metabolic disorders, but there is no evidence to suggest that MSG either causes cancer or increases your risk of developing cancer. The only issue is you might have a sensitivity to MSG that can cause headaches when eaten but MSG is still regulated as a safe compound to consume by many food agencies worldwide.
Myth 27: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes
This is false, the chances of developing type 2 diabetes are higher if you carry excess weight, which can be the result of eating a high-sugar diet but eating sugar itself will not directly cause diabetes. Similarly, type 1 diabetes is caused when the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system so again, eating sugar will not impact this.
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Myth 28: Eating spicy foods causes stomach ulcers
This is one of those myths where people might have gotten confused by the advice from doctors, rather than being downright wrong like many others on this list. Stomach ulcers are typically caused by bacterial infections, not spicy foods, with things like smoking, family history, and alcohol increasing your chances of developing an ulcer. Whilst spicy foods dont cause stomach ulcers, the recommendation from medical professionals is that if you already have an ulcer, you should avoid spicy food.
Myth 29: No Pain, No Gain when it comes to exercise
Theres a misconception that exercise must involve running for miles or lifting heavy weights, which is where the whole concept of no pain, no gain comes from. Whilst you should be doing various forms of exercise each week, you shouldnt be in pain when moving and simple workouts such as yoga, Pilates, and barre classes can help your core and stability systems, with meditation even shown to reduce blood pressure.
Myth 30: Eating chocolate causes acne
There is very little definitive proof that eating chocolate causes acne, with much of the evidence coming back either inconclusive or contradictory. If you have issues with acne, it might be best to eat dark chocolate as it typically contains less sugar than white or milk chocolate and if the problem persists, its better to see a specialist doctor instead of giving up chocolate and assuming the problem will squeeze itself away.
This article is constantly being updated with new information and health myths that have been debunked with new research, so keep checking back in for the latest digestible news.
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