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| Health Myths Debunked |
Did you
know that some popular health tips and warnings that you follow are nothing but
complete myths? In this article, I will walk you through some health myths and also
debunk them to help you stay healthy. Here are the myths or misconceptions:
1. Eating Late Makes You Gain Weight
People have
probably advised you to avoid eating late in the evening because it will make
you gain more weight. Well, only very little evidence backs this concept. According
to Oregon Health & Science University and Dunn Nutrition Centre researchers,
it is not true. Weight gain is actually associated with the quantity and what
you eat rather than when. If you can burn off the calories consumed, eat at any
time!
2. Thin is Better Than Fat
First of
all, what some people consider,” fat” isn’t necessarily healthy for you from a
health perspective. However, for the record, being obese is no doubt unhealthy.
Sadly, many people underestimate the health risks of being underweight.
According to researchers at Tohoku University, underweight people over 40 years
of age are at a higher risk of experiencing heart disease and pneumonia
compared to overweight people.
3. Reading In a Dimly Lit Setting Damages Your Eyesight
Millions of
people perhaps including you, have read using candlelight, paraffin lamps, torchlight
or other dim light but continue to have great eyesight. Researchers at the
Indiana University School of Medicine in the U.S studied this view and stated that
people who read in a dimly lit setting don’t develop any permanent eye damage.
Well, it might lead to temporal dry eyes or eye strain though.
4. You Can ‘Catch-Up on Your Missed Sleep During Weekends
No, you
can’t! You can’t deny your body some recommended sleep within the week and then
catch up on it during the weekend. A study deprived participants of only four
hours’ sleep for five nights. Then they were given more sleeping time of 10
hours to recover. However, after measuring their attention span, reaction times
and fatigue, they found that they had not return to normal. This means that
catching up with missed sleep is just a myth you have to ignore. So, stop
missing sleep!
5. All Bacteria is Bad
This is an
easy-to-debunk myth. Did you know that some bacteria are good for you? Good examples
are the different bacteria that cover healthy skin for natural disease
prevention and the good bacteria in the human gut for strengthening your immunity.
So, tune down your obsession with using antibiotics or over-cleansing your skin
for it retains the good bacteria your body needs.
6. Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day
Is it
actually healthy for EVERYBODY to drink eight glasses of water per day?
Hydration is essential but over-hydration can be dangerous. Not everyone can drink
the eight glasses because it depends partly on the type and quantity of food
one consumes, body size, temperature and level of activity.
7. Eat Anything You Desire as Long as You Burn it Off
You can’t
eat anything you crave and get away with it on the pretext that you exercise
regularly and don’t put on weight. The fact is, if you eat unhealthy food
options, health issues will wreck your body. No wonder many fit people on a
poor diet still end up with cardiovascular disease or other related issues. Having
a balanced diet is inevitable no matter what!
Now you
know some top health myths. Your best reaction to these debunked myths is to
ignore them.
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articles. Please leave a comment or question in the comment box below and I
will respond eagerly.
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