10 Popular Health Myths
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The now-defunct Australian news magazine, The Bulletin, published a really interesting article where they explored 10 popular health claims and gave them a reality check. I shall reproduce the article here.
Myth Busters - We give 10 popular health claims a reality check.
by Katherine Fleming
Knowing what is good for you may seem daunting, with the endless and every-changing stream of health claims. It's hard to tell what will apparently give you cancer, protect you against it, damage your heart, cleanse your body, boost your immune system or help you lose weight.
Some of these health messages have become folklore but do they stack up? Some are just untrue, many are built on suspicions since disproved, and all lack conclusive scientific results. That said, anabsence of proof that somethin gis risky doesn't necessarily mean it's safe.
The Bulletin canvassed the experts on 10 common health claims.
1 Drink eight glasses of water a day.
There's no scientific backing for this oft-cited rule, which has seen the water bottle become a ubiquitous accessory. It's such a popular myth it was endorsed by Kidney Health Australia (KHA), until it reviewed the policy about five years ago and discovered a "distinct lack of evidence.
The origin of "8X8" - eight glasses of eight ounces (240mls) - is unclear, although a potential suspect is a 1974 book by American nutritionist, Dr Frederick J Stare.
KHA Medical Director, Dr Tim Mathew, says the best rule is drink when you're thirsty, and choose water. You can use the colour of your urine as a guide - pale amber is good, darker means you're dehydrated.
2 Foods like grapefruit, vinegar and chilli burn fat.
No foods can burn fat. Talk of a fat-burning enzyme in grapefruit, for example, isn't backed by evidence. Some foods, like chilli and caffeine, increase your metabolic rate briefly but no tenough to have any real effect, says Nutrition Australia.
Grapefruit is a healthy food, so include it in your diet (although it can interact with some medications) but any single-food regime, like the Grapefruit Diet reportedly favoured by celebrities such as Brooke Shields, is a bad idea.
3 Excessive mobile phone use will give you a brain tumour.
There's no increased risk in people who have used their mobile for less than 10 years, but the jury is still out on longer-term use.
Cancer Council CEO, Prof Ian Olver, says inconsistent findings for mobile phone use for over more than a decade mean that more investigation is needed - a Danish study found no link to incraesed cancer rates, but Swedish research suggested potential risk. Results generally aren't broken down for heavy versus infrequent mobile users, or for hands-free devices.
Proving such a link is difficult because it's likely most cancers are caused by a combination of factors. Olver says there's yet to be a convincing argument on how mobile phonen radiation could cause the DNA disruption necessary for cancer to develop.
4 Vitamin C stops you getting a cold.
Despite widespread use of the vitamin for this purpose, a Cochrane Review this year concluded that there's not much point.
The results of 30 trials showed that taking Vitamin C supplements (orally 0.2g+) makes almost no difference to whether you get a cold, unless you're doing extreme exercise and / or in very cold temperatures (marathon runners, skiers, soldiers on sub-arctic exercises).
Taking Vitamin C before the cold can cut its duration, but after you have symptoms it makes no significant difference. Severity isn't affected.
5 Artificial sweeteners are carcinogenic.
this concern arose when studies in rats found that high doses of saccharin, the oldest artificial sweetener, caused bladder stones, which can lead to bladder cancer.
But Dr David Thomas, an oncologist from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, says that most of the associations made between sweeteners and cancer in humans have been technically flawed.
"There have been quite a number of reasonably powered association studies, and overall I don't think there is any evidence that any form of sweetener is associated with increased cancer risk, " he says.
To Be Continued...
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6 Tomatoes and oranges put you at risk of arthritis.
Nutrition Australia says this myth stems from the idea that acidic foods will accummulate in the blood and eat away at the body's joints.
"Arthritis is not caused by eating acidic foods," it says. "Very few foods are as acidic as our digestive juices. Foods termed 'acid foods', such as tomatoes and oranges, are very rich in Vitamin C, which is beneficial to the immune system, so avoiding these may do more harm than good," it says.
Spokeswoman Aloysa Hourigan says that some people with arthritis will be intolerant of certain foods, but a balanced diet is recommended.
7 Excessive coffee will give you a heart attack.
Four cups of coffee or fewer a day won't affect your cardiovascular health, according to a recent International Food Information Centre paper, but there is less data about the effects of much higher amounts.
The National Heart foundation says a moderate amount of instant and filtered coffee is considered safe, but some preparation methods, such as boiling ground coffee beans for long periods, may result in higher cholesterol.
The American Heart Association concludes that for most people a couple of cups a day doesn't appear to be harmful.
8 Sunscreen protects you from skin cancer.
No sunscreen offers 100% protection, even if you follow the instructions to the letter, says the Cancer Council NSW. You generally need to cover up with clothing, a hat, and shade.
It's also a myth tha tyou're safe as long as you don't get burnt - any tanning represents cell damage by UV radiation and increases cancer risk.
Some sun exposure is needed to get adequate Vitamin D, but the Cancer Council recommends short bursts only outside the peak UV times of 10am-2pm.
9 Special Diets or products are necessary in order to detox your body.
Your body is perfectly capable of detoxing itself. "Detox diets often encourage severe restriction of whole food groups, such as meat or dairy food, making it difficult to meet nutritional needs, " says the Dietitians Association of Australia.
"The scientific basis for these kinds of stringent diets is lacking and such severe dietary restriction is unnecessary and potentially dangerous."
While some people report feeling better after "detox diets", it's often because they're eating less unhealthy food, drinking less alcohol and consuming more fruit and vegetables.
10 Don't cross your legs or you'll get varicose veins.
Australasian College of Phlebology spokesman, Dr Adrian Lim, says genetics are teh main factor and there's no known way to prevent varicose veins if you're predisposed. However, the risk can be reduced through support stockings, maintaining a normal weight, regular exercise, avoiding constipation and shunning high heels. Obesity, pregnancy and prolonged standing also increase the risk.
Crossing your legs can, however, speed the development of varicose veins if you're at risk or already have them.
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Actually, I don't care what the article says, I still think that artificial sweeteners are more harmful to the body than plain ol' sugar. At least, the body knows how to deal with sugar but with artificial sweeteners, it's just another chemical floating in the system.
When you're at the supermart doing your grocery shopping, don't think that all fat-free or light products are 'better'. Often, if you compare the ingredients of the original and the lite version, you'll realise that the lighter version not only has artificial sweeteners, they might even have 'fillers' like starch in place of full-cream milk. It's best to learn to scrutinise the food labels before making your choices.
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Originally posted by Rhonda:
Actually, I don't care what the article says, I still think that artificial sweeteners are more harmful to the body than plain ol' sugar. At least, the body knows how to deal with sugar but with artificial sweeteners, it's just another chemical floating in the system.
When you're at the supermart doing your grocery shopping, don't think that all fat-free or light products are 'better'. Often, if you compare the ingredients of the original and the lite version, you'll realise that the lighter version not only has artificial sweeteners, they might even have 'fillers' like starch in place of full-cream milk. It's best to learn to scrutinise the food labels before making your choices.
So true -
A lot of word-play is involved in food labels to hoodwink clueless people. For instance, fruit juices with "No artificial sweeteners" does not mean no sweeteners are used at all. I think a lot of people get deceived by it. It just means that Sugar aka Sucrose is used, and since it's not an artificial sweetener, they can make that claim. It's surprising how many get deceived into thinking that it's the same as No Added Sugar.
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when I take something with artificial sweetener.. my tongue picks it up immediately with a dry and bitter aftertaste
that's why i can't stand them. :(
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
when I take something with artificial sweetener.. my tongue picks it up immediately with a dry and bitter aftertaste
that's why i can't stand them. :(
It's just as well cause it's best to avoid them.
I get this slightly 'flat', metallic taste on my tongue when artificial sweeteners are involved. Give me plain old sugar anytime! It's actually the healthier option, in moderation.
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Originally posted by Rhonda:
It's just as well cause it's best to avoid them.
I get this slightly 'flat', metallic taste on my tongue when artificial sweeteners are involved. Give me plain old sugar anytime! It's actually the healthier option, in moderation.
looks like after our big detour on 'healthier options' like margarine and artificial sweeteners, it still ends up back to good old square one with butter ghee and sugar :D -
LOL and then the best part is that they wonder how come it's sweet when there is no sugar :P
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
looks like after our big detour on 'healthier options' like margarine and artificial sweeteners, it still ends up back to good old square one with butter ghee and sugar :DOh, as a general rule of thumb, 'natural' is always better than having tons of artificial what-not chemicals floating around in our bodies!
If the chemicals free-float in our bodies and can't be dealt with in metabolism and excretion, it starts to interact with our body processes, and then it floats around as free-radicals after the chemical reactions. Accummulate enough free-radicals in the body and eventually one gets cancer. 
Thank you, but I'd rather eat the 'real' stuff!
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Originally posted by elindra:
LOL and then the best part is that they wonder how come it's sweet when there is no sugar :P
Yeah!
Ah well, let's educate and inform, and not ridicule and mock!
A lot of fanciful fruit juices are a plain rip off! You get something labelled "Apple & Strawberry Juice" and if you read the labels, it's like 97% apple juice and only 3% strawberry juice, and sometimes, it's 'reconstituted strawberry juice' which is, what the hell, maybe just 5% strawberries and 93% water and 2% sugar, which means that you aren't even getting 3% of strawberries in that juice!!
I have a field day each time reading the fruit juice labels! Sometimes, the %age of fruits they use are so negligible, I don't even think the fruit qualifies to have a mention in the label at all!
I think if we want to jazz up our apple juice, it's best to process / puree / juice our selected fruits, and then mix it into apple juice. -
Originally posted by Rhonda:
Oh, as a general rule of thumb, 'natural' is always better than having tons of artificial what-not chemicals floating around in our bodies!
If the chemicals free-float in our bodies and can't be dealt with in metabolism and excretion, it starts to interact with our body processes, and then it floats around as free-radicals after the chemical reactions. Accummulate enough free-radicals in the body and eventually one gets cancer. Thank you, but I'd rather eat the 'real' stuff!
same here.. but not for the health reasons :Pcan ANYTHING substitute butter!!!?? *drool*
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
same here.. but not for the health reasons :Pcan ANYTHING substitute butter!!!?? *drool*
You know, I've often wondered - how did people stumble upon making butter in the first place? I mean, look at the process - you have to churn it, remove the butterfat, and then add stuff and blah blah. I mean, HOW did the first butter makers know that they have to go through all those funny processes to get something called 'butter'?!
Whilst we're on this trend of thought, how did anyone ever invent ice-cream or cakes or cookies?
I mean, how would you know that oh, I add this, then stir, then rub it in, etc etc? Given that it's a complicated, multi-step process involving so many ingredients, how did the first person ever come up with those concoctions that turned out into recipes? 
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
looks like after our big detour on 'healthier options' like margarine and artificial sweeteners, it still ends up back to good old square one with butter ghee and sugar :D
You know I'm like so happy bbqing with Ghee instead of Planta's Margarine :P -
Originally posted by elindra:
You know I'm like so happy bbqing with Ghee instead of Planta's Margarine :PIsn't Ghee solidified animal fat?
Isn't that like choked full of artery-clogging saturated fats? -
Originally posted by Rhonda:
You know, I've often wondered - how did people stumble upon making butter in the first place? I mean, look at the process - you have to churn it, remove the butterfat, and then add stuff and blah blah. I mean, HOW did the first butter makers know that they have to go through all those funny processes to get something called 'butter'?!
Whilst we're on this trend of thought, how did anyone ever invent ice-cream or cakes or cookies?
I mean, how would you know that oh, I add this, then stir, then rub it in, etc etc? Given that it's a complicated, multi-step process involving so many ingredients, how did the first person ever come up with those concoctions that turned out into recipes?
yeah its like sometimes I wonder.. how many people died before they realised what could not be eaten.. and what.. could be. :O -
Originally posted by Rhonda:
Isn't Ghee solidified animal fat?
Isn't that like choked full of artery-clogging saturated fats?
that's a popular misconception thanks to primary school "science" I was taught that ghee was fat from the cow (cos of the picture outside the can I think!)ghee is clarified butter. It is supposed to be more healthy that butter - but its still saturated fats la :P
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
that's a popular misconception thanks to primary school "science"ghee is clarified butter.
Orh... tamade, lucky for my primary school teachers, it's Singapore and not litigatious USA or Australia otherwise, I'd sue them for misinforming young innocent kids!
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Originally posted by elindra:
You know I'm like so happy bbqing with Ghee instead of Planta's Margarine :P
planta margarine has this very weird ... slimy texture. When u buy from those 'traditional' bread shop that will 'butter' and kaya your traditional breads for you.. they use planta butter and ... the scary thing is.. the flies won't even go near it :O -
Originally posted by Rhonda:
Orh... tamade, lucky for my primary school teachers, it's Singapore and not litigatious USA or Australia otherwise, I'd sue them for misinforming young innocent kids!
yalo.. i think when we were young.. the 'cross cultural' knowledge was very .. err.... not emphasized on. -
Ghee is Clarified Butter
From Wiki:
Ghee is clarified butter which is brought to higher temperatures (120 °C/250 °F) once the water has cooked off, allowing the milk solids to brown. This process flavors the ghee, and also produces antioxidants which help protect it longer from rancidity. Because of this, ghee can keep for six to eight months under normal conditions
See it even contains antioxidants!!!
History of butter in Wiki too!
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Found this about Ghee in wikipedia :
Ghee is made by simmering unsalted butter in a large pot until all water has boiled off and protein has settled to the bottom. The cooked and clarified butter is then spooned off to avoid disturbing the milk solids on the bottom of the pan. Unlike butter, ghee can be stored for extended periods without refrigeration, provided it is kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation and remains moisture-free
Ayurvedic texts describe many diverse mind/body benefits. For example,
- Absorption: Ghee is an integral part of the practice of ayurvedic herbal formulation. Since ghee is an oil, it can bond with lipid-soluble nutrients and herbs to penetrate the lipid-based cell membranes of the body. It is stated to increase the potency of certain herbs by carrying the active components to the interior of the cells where they impart the most benefit.
- Digestion: The ayurvedic texts say that ghee helps balance excess stomach acid, and helps maintain/repair the mucus lining of the stomach.
- Mild Burns: Like aloe, ghee is said to prevent blisters and scarring if applied quickly to affected skin. Also, ghee stored over a longer time has more medicinal value.
- Mind: Ghee is said to promote all three aspects of mental functioning -- learning, memory and recall.
- Ayurvedic Balance: Ghee balances both Vata (the dosha that controls movement in mind and body) and Pitta (the dosha that controls heat and metabolism).
Eating ghee is also believed to enhance virility and sexual potency. Excessive consumption of ghee is known to cause bromhidrosis.
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Originally posted by ShrodingersCat:
planta margarine has this very weird ... slimy texture. When u buy from those 'traditional' bread shop that will 'butter' and kaya your traditional breads for you.. they use planta butter and ... the scary thing is.. the flies won't even go near it :O
Ya it is damn weird in texture and I don't even know how to describe the flavorIt's kinda like eating solid oil that taste slightly rancid :X
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Originally posted by elindra:
Ghee is Clarified Butter
From Wiki:
See it even contains antioxidants!!!
History of butter in Wiki too!
Eh! We GMTA!!
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Well too much anything is bad for you :P