Health "facts" that you believe to be myths and why. See if you can change my mind.

[TattyDevine]

Anyone got any? I've got a couple.

First one is this bullshit that you have to drink a certain amount of water a day that isn't dictated by your body's thirst or cues, but by some arbitrary amount.

Why the hell would your body not tell you if it needed water? How have we evolved this far not realising we needed to be drinking double or triple the amount of water we feel we need to? Thirsty, have a drink. Not thirsty, don't. Like food. Hungry, eat. Not hungry? Shouldn't eat. What terrible fate will befall us if we don't drink 2 litres of water a day? And how did we evolve for thousands and thousands of years before this bit of knowledge was bestowed upon us?

2nd one - don't eat at night because you won't burn it and it will be stored as fat, but if you eat the same amount but during the day you will burn it.

Well, surely if you have done the same level of activity in a day and had the same amount of food within that day it will even out? Over a 24 hour period, I've taken in x amount of energy and burned y amount. If I took most of it in at night it makes up for the deficit in the morning. If I take it evenly over the day there was no deficit to make up for but I've still taken in the same amount and burned up the same amount.

3rd one - coffee and tea dehydrates you because it is a mild diuretic. Okay so its a mild diuretic but you are still more hydrated drinking it because it doesn't make you piss out more than what you took in in terms of extra fluid by drinking it in the first place. So it still counts as a drink. (In fact my GP surgery has a poster saying about taking plenty of fluids if you have a cold, and that it doesn't have to be water but a cup of tea or coffee is just as good). When I read that, I was so revived by the no nonsense common sense approach I had to restrain myself from licking the poster with delight.

Yours please, and try and convince me otherwise with non bullshitty science if you think I'm wrong (which I'm happy to be with a proper science-boffiny cut-down)

The placebo/nocebo effect is amazing though-not in the example with the kids (I don't think one persons beliefs can actually affect another's behaviour ) but in individuals - it's clear that believing that taking certain supplements/food/medicines will make you healthier/better can actually make it true, as I suspect, a belief that we aren't able to tolerate say, dairy, will make you struggle to digest it - not to suggest that food allergies or intolerances are all in the mind, but the mind can be incredibly powerful!

Re the thread being a head fuck I think the lesson we can all take from most of this thread is that we are all different, have different requirements and tolerances for different foods and we should experiment with health 'facts' to see how our own bodies respond in order to find out our individual truths...try going dairy free for a bit, drinking more or less water or caffeine, adding lots more veg to our diets...see what, if any difference it makes and find the levels that work for you personally .

Yep, think sleepwhenidie wins the thread (though I believe it's scientifically proven that we function best on 8 hours sleep a night )

That made me laugh manic, I think it was only yesterday the front page of the Times stated that 'too much sleep may kill you' (dramatic much ) and that 8hrs was the tipping point! I didn't read the actual article though I admit.

There's so much science still doesn't have a clue about in terms of how our bodies work and interact with environment/lifestyle and mental disposition, hence the ongoing changes of 'fact'...eggs are bad/no they are amazing ...red wine good/erm actually maybe not that good...caffeine terrible/but so many antioxidants, so must be good! Meat excellent for you/red meat contains sugars that cause cancer...it goes on and on. And how to explain people with advanced terminal illness changing their diet/lifestyle completely and utterly defying their dire medical prognosis? Is it what they cut out, what they add, or even what they believe that is making the difference? It's fascinating stuff

OMG finally people who agree that having porridge for breakfast makes them starving by lunch. If I eat porridge at say, 9.30, I feel full and then BAM about 11.30 feel like I could eat my neighbours if they wandered close enough.

Elephants, that is scientifically known as the Chinese Takeaway Effect Didn't realise it applied to porridge!

Yay for porridge making you ravenous. Me too! I could have a black coffee and a fag Kate Moss styleeee and feel fuller.

"Fills me up to lunch" FECK OOOORRRRF.

(I believe these people by the way, just doesn't work for me, do what works I say, your body likes what it likes)

Caffeine shampoo - doesn't it stimulate the scalp (i.e increase blood flow to it) - thus increasing growth? The way Rapidlash works on lashes. I expect we could possibly absorb some through the scalp too so might wake you up in the morning a bit? Not a "health benefit" as such but a "benefit" of sorts? Correct me if wrong, never tried it.

I believe the scalp being "stimulated" in terms of blood flow is proper science for hair growth speed (but not necessarily regaining lost hair, if it were that easy there'd be less bald dudes, my husband included, who would drip molten lava on is scalp to stimulate it if he thought he could get his hair back)

All juicing is bollocks

Is that the myth or the truth Ronald

About the going out with wet hair causing a cold - surely this is due to the fact that going out qith wet hair in a cold environment will lower the body's temperature - the cold viruses thrive at just below body temperature so if you lower your body temperature they will multiply faster.

There's an old marketing study that people will buy a handcream that says "contains Vitamin D"

Which it did.

Even though it has absolutely no effect on the skin.

So why not buy shampoo that contains caffeine?

Or nail varnish enriched with essential oils?

And re burging off food more in the day than at night I totally agree with - it isn't just about calories in and out the metabolism does have a big impact

Can I join the 'porridge makes me ravenous' club please?

Id much rather have a coffee and a fag for breakfast. If only I'd not given up smoking 4 years ago

I haven't read all 13 pages but how about "getting a flu vaccine means you won't get flu"

That is absolutely correct, Margy. I mean, it's a myth, indeed.

"OMG finally people who agree that having porridge for breakfast makes them starving by lunch."

In my experience the more I eat of anything the hungrier I seem to get; it's not just porridge and chinese meals. Unless it's a fish and chip supper; that'll keep me full for hours.

Piglet, I wrote the product copy for a range of 'health-giving' bath products. It's amazing how much you can say without actually making any dishonest claims! Or, rather, it's amazing how much customers are eager to read into a vague statement They're still going strong and still have my words on the labels, so there's the proof.

Oooh, Made, I had fish'n'chips for the first time in ages the other day. I was amazed to find I didn't need anything else to eat all evening!

I know it's because the meal's so high in fat, but that makes me think I'm doing this all wrong and should be pouring lard over everything I eat.

I think perhaps you're onto something there Gallic; pouring lard on our morning porridge will surely keep us all going til noon.

You know, that would solve the porridge problem!

If I have porridge for breakfast I'm bloody starving by 11am. However, strangely I find it more filling if I eat it in the evening

That might be your metabolism burning it all up quickly in the morning but slowly trundling through it in the evening oubliette . And I'm not suggesting a bucketful of lard but nut butter or a handful of raw nuts on your porridge for breakfast probably would make a difference to how long it takes for you to get hungry again because the fat takes longer to process may be worth a try...