Bust those popular health beliefs

By siliconindia   |   Saturday, 16 July 2011, 00:35 IST
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Bust those popular health beliefs
Bangalore: You must have heard this- break a mirror and know that you're destined for seven years of bad luck. Turns out that similar urban myth run rampant in the wild world of health and fitness too. Does reading in the dark actually hurt your vision? Do we really use only 10 percent of our brains? What happens if you swallow gum?And does eating at night make you fat? Separate fact from fiction. Do carrots really help your eyesight?Should you actually eat for two if you're pregnant? The problem is that a lot of people take these statements passed from generations say as gospel, but sometimes it's not backed up by science. But it's time we debunked these popular medical myths that have seeped into the zeitgeist, been repeated by parents and friends. It's no wonder many people struggle to see through the mass of confusing advice, old wives'tales and health myths out there. Read on to learn about some of the more bizarre health myths out there and why, exactly, they aren't for real! Don't swallow your gum! Although gum sticks to just about everything, your stomach is in fact one of the few exceptions! Chewing gum is prepared out of pretty hard to digest stuff. Your stomach absorbs the sugar and sweeteners. Experts concede that your body can't actually digest the gum; however, your digestive system keeps moving the gum along until ends up in your toilet one to two days later. So if you swallow your gum, no worries. It won't be your problem in a few days; it will be the Sanitation Department's. Use the highest SPF and you won't get burned or the sun causes skin cancer. Sunscreen does not offer 100 per cent resistance against UV radiation and should never be the first line of defense against the sun's rays. Sunscreen with an SPF of 30-plus filters about 97 per cent of UV radiation and must be reapplied every two hours. You can still get blistered, so wear a hat, sunglasses, and clothing and seek shade as well. If you must use sunscreen, use a natural, chemical free alternative. Most people also believe that the sun causes cancer, when as a matter of fact, the opposite is factual. The body needs sunlight! Habitual exposure to sunlight can reduce the incidence of cancers by up to 60 percent! Many studies reveal that people who live in sunnier, southern latitudes and who have higher levels of vitamin D (as a result of their increased sun exposure) are much less likely to die from any type of cancer than people in northern latitudes. People are overweight because they have slow metabolisms. Only a small proportion of people have slow metabolisms. It's a frequent moan, but sadly, a slow metabolism is no excuse for being overweight. This is why men - who characteristically have more lean muscle than women, do - tend to lose weight quicker and gain it more gradually. It's also why experts suggest strength training to build muscle mass. BMR is also affected by how much you exercise. All physical activity, not just exhausting activity, increases the number of calories you burn. The bottom line: Most overweight or obese individuals do not get that way because of a slow metabolism. They get that way because they eat too many calories and don't exercise enough. Eating late night makes you fat. This one is half-true! No need to feel bad about those late night snacks! It's the quantity of calories you eat over the entire day that affects weight, eating at night won't make you fat unless your choices of food at night are high in calories and exceed your daily energy requirements. What is more important when dining late at night, however, is to eat healthy foods - including lean meats, healthy fats, and plenty of veggies - both to ease digestion and best fuel your body for restorative sleep! Reading in dim light ruins your eyesight. While this is one fairy tale that parents around the world have treasured for generations, it has very little scientific backing. If you've been switching out your bedroom bulbs for industrial-strength floodlights in an effort to protect your eyesight, you'll be thankful to learn that this myth - regardless of what your mother says -is false! Proof? Back in the old times, our ancestors did all their reading by the light of a flickering candle flame and their eyesight didn't appear to suffer! Although it can cause eye strain, with short-term, negative effects, it is unlikely to cause a lasting change. The practice has been blamed for increasing rates of myopia (nearsightedness) though. Eating low-fat foods will help you lose weight. Remember in the early 90s when the whole lot went fat free? Supermarkets stocked up on low-fat versions of all our high-fat favorites, as well as low-fat ice cream, fat-free cookies, low-fat salad dressing and low-fat chips. Despite these actions, the percentage of overweight and obese continued to climb. The cause? When manufacturers took out the fat, they had to add something to make the food taste fine. What did they add? Sugar and lots of it! Even though we know this, many people carry on to fear the fat! Our advice? If you spend more time focused on eating the most nutrient-dense foods (that is, those that delivery the most vitamins and minerals per pound) you really can't go wrong! The body needs fats! Especially 'essential fats.' The best sources are high in omega 3 and include olive oil, nuts, avocado and fish oils.

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