The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has
It seems every week there’s a new survey or report that contradicts everything you know about how to manage your health.
In 2016 alone, we got more evidence that coffee isn’t a cause of cancer and the discussion about the health effects of sugar became even more heated.
To help you parse out what works from what’s simply myth, we compiled the definitive( at the least for now) answers to some of the most pressing health topics, based on the book “Your Health: What Works, What Doesn’t.”
Here’s what the science has to say.
1. Does sugar stimulate you hyper ?
Flickr/ Luke
Short answer: No
The National Institute of Health has constructed it pretty clear that additives and dyes added to food have effects that are “small and do not account for most cases of ADHD.”
The myth started back in the 1970 s when a doctor wrote into the American Academy of Pediatrics that he had become aware that sugar was a leading cause of hyperactivity. But research has shown otherwise: A 1995 meta-analysis of sugar surveys found that it didn’t have an effect on the behavior or cognitive performance of children.
2. Does cough syrup run ?
Jonathan Ernst/ Reuters
Short answer: No
It’s been a while since doctors came to agree that most over-the-counter cough medicines don’t run. In 2014, Australian researchers published similar conclusions that the syrups typically contain dosages of codeine and antihistamines that are too small to be effective and can be harmful for children.
Prescription cough suppressants such as levodropropizine, however, might have a better shot.
3. Does olive oil prevent heart disease ?
Flickr/ neeta_lind
Short answer: Yes
As if you need more of an excuse to put olive oil on everything, scientists have found a connection between eating more olive oil and a lower risk of coronary artery disease. Examines that are happening right now are testing out how a Mediterranean diet rich in olive oil compares to low-fat diets when it comes to heart disease recurrence.
In general, olive oil’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory consequences have also been well documented. And in a study of older women published in 2015 in the medical periodical JAMA, Spanish scientists found that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra olive oil appeared to help reduce the participants’ danger of breast cancer when compared with two other groups of women on a low-fat diet and a Mediterranean diet supplemented with nuts.
4. Do sugary soft drinks lead to diabetes ?
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Short answer: Yes
Sugary drinks are associated with Type 2 diabetes, according to a 2010 analysis of studies on the relationship. Compared with those who had less than one sugary liquor a month, those who had about one to two servings a day had a 26% greater hazard of developing Type 2 diabetes, the analysis found.
And it’s not just diabetes excessive sugar intake can lead to a host of problems. For example, sugar-sweetened beverages are also associated with weight gain and diabetes, a 2006 review that looked at 50 years worth of studies found.
5. Do I need sunscreen with more than 30 SPF ?
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Short answer: No
The difference between SPF 15, 30, and 50 isn’t as linear as you might expect. SPF 15 blocks out 93% of UVB rays, while bumping up to 30 gives you 97% protection( not inevitably double ). Running up to 50 boosts you up to 98% protection. And, once you get past that phase, it’s merely going to give you incrementally better protection.
The Food and Drug Administration, which is in charge of regulating sunscreen, tells the more important factor is going for a sunscreen labeled “broad spectrum.” That means the sunscreen’s protection against ultraviolet A light, or UVA, is proportional to protection against ultraviolet B rays. Yes, you can go up to 50 SPF and be safer, but as long as you stay above SPF 15 with the broad masses of the spectrum, you should be set. Just be sure to reapply frequently( the FDA suggests every two hours or so ).
6. Is the MSG in Chinese food likely to give you a headache ?
Short answer: No
MSG, a savory food additive that some tell causes headaches, chest pain, flushing, and numbness, has never been scientifically proved to cause any of those symptoms. A 2006 analysis found that while there had been reports of MSG sensitivity, in placebo-controlled analyzes the sensitivity has never been demonstrated.
Will Wei, Business Insider
7. Do nuts stimulate you fat ?
Hollis Johnson
Short answer: No
Unless you’re feeing pounds of almonds every day, nuts most likely won’t build you fat. A cup of almonds has 3.4 grams of saturated fat, above the FDA’s standard of less than 2 grams allowed to be considered healthy.
But almonds and other nuts are filled with other types of fat that are considered helpful in lowering bad cholesterol. They also have heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fiber. So while they may not be allowed to be called “healthy, ” they surely won’t make you fat if feed in moderation.
For reference, this photo shows what a portion of almonds looks like.
8. Is walking as effective as running ?
Getty Images/ Sandra Mu
Short answer: Yes
But really, it depends on what effect you’re go looking for. If you’re going for heart health, yes, there’s no difference. If you’re going for weight loss, vigorous exercise might be better. As for your knees, going for a operate might actually do more to help than previously known, according to a meta-analysis of running and knee joint studies.
9. Is drinking fruit juice as good for you as eating fruit ?
Flickr/ cjtrigg
Short answer: No
You don’t want to lose the fiber that’s in the peels and pulp of the fruit and let’s face it, most of us don’t get enough fiber as it is. A 2014 study comparing orange juice to oranges, however, suggested that the juice kind might be able to unlock nutrients like flavonoids and carotenoidscompared with whole oranges, though that doesn’t overrule the lack of fiber.
So if you’re looking for the best of both worlds, opt in for pulp so you at least get a little bit.
10. Are all wheat breads best available than white bread ?
Flickr/ mystuart
Short answer: No
Not all wheat breads are created equal, so take note. Though most white bread is constructed with refined grains that skip out a lot of the fiber and nutrients, there are whole-wheat white breads that are just as healthy as whole-wheat breads.
Regardless of your colouring predilection, make sure you’re get whole wheat: bran, germ, endosperm, the whole package.
11. Can a hot tub stimulate me sick ?
Short answer: Yes
Hot bathtubs are a really great breeding grounds for germs. According to new data on more than 84,000 inspections released in 2016 by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 8 public swimming places( pools as well as hot tubs) had to be shut down because of health and safety violations. The most common reasons had to do with improper pH levels or disinfectant concentrations.
Via Hot Tub Boats
Many outbreaks in public pools and hot tubs are caused by Cryptosporidium, a parasite that can cause gastrointestinal illness and is fairly resistant to chlorine. But that doesn’t mean you should steer clear of the airplanes of hot water or the local pool during the summer; just try not to swallow a bunch of water and know some of the warning signs.
12. Does coffee cause cancer ?
Business Insider
Short answer: No
In June 2016, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer( IARC) “found no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect of drinking coffee.” However, the agency did find that hot beverages “probably causes” cancer of the esophagus a type of cancer that’s not very common.
For a long time the WHO categorized coffee as “possibly carcinogenic to the human urinary bladder.” But, as argued in Slate in 2015, coffee is consumed by such a large population and has been so well studied that it’s really unlikely that it’s a carcinogen. And, as the IARC found, drinking coffee might reduce the risk for cancers such as liver and uterine endometrium.
13. Do eggs create cholesterol levels ?
Flickr/ Antti T. Nissinen
Short answer: No
Egg devotees can exult: In 2015, the USDA dietary guidelines let eggs off the hook. Eggs contain a lot of cholesterol, which dedicated them the reputation of being unhealthy. There’s evidence, however, suggesting that the cholesterol present in foods doesn’t have an effect on cholesterol in blood( which can lead to heart problems ).
14. Can you drink too much water ?
Shutterstock/ Halfpoint
Short answer: Yes
If you put too much water in your body( we’re talking multiple water bottle quantities while doing extreme exercising ), your kidneys aren’t be permitted to process it all, which dilutes the amount of minerals in the blood. That gets to be a problem when sodium levels get low, a condition called hyponatremia.
The way to prevent it? Drink electrolyte-replacing drinks while working out instead to make sure your body has enough to keep on moving.
15. Can yogurt ease digestive problems ?
Flickr/ Jules
Short answer: Yes
In theory, eating bacteria-filled yogurt is a good idea. After all, a intestine teeming with healthy microbes is a happy one. Bacteria and other critters living in our intestines help break down food, so the idea is that if you can add more bacteria through probiotic yogurt, you may be able to keep things operating smoothly.
But, as science novelist Ed Yong explained to Business Insider in October 2016, the probiotic yogurts we have today might not actually be allowed to colonize in our intestine likely because there are too few in the yogurt to begin with.
“The idea of taking beneficial microbes is a very sound one, ” Yong told. “But I think we need to get much savvier and smarter about picking microbes that are going to do well inside us.”
Yogurt also packs in an unexpected sum of sugar, so keep that in mind as you consider it as a snack.
16. Do whitening toothpastes whiten teeth more than regular toothpastes ?
Short answer: No
As fun as “scientifically proven” labels on toothpaste containers are, they’re not entirely accurate. According to the American Dental Association, whitening toothpastes may be able to do something on the surface level. To get to the deep-down stains, you have to opt into most extreme therapies like bleaching. Plus, whitening toothpastes have shown to be more toxic than regular toothpastes, so it might not be worth the trouble.
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17. Is it safe to microwave food in plastic receptacles ? 
Flickr/ mush m .
Short answer: Yes
… but only if it’s marked “microwave safe.” A 2014 examine found that phthalates, a group of chemicals that construct plastic flexible and are a possible carcinogen, migrated from plastic to food that was heated in the receptacle more easily after prolonged utilize. Containers marked microwave safe shouldn’t contain these chemicals and other suspected carcinogens.
18. Can watching Tv ruin your eyesight ?
Peter Macdiarmid/ Getty Images
Short answer: No
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, look at this place LCD screens and other devices won’t ruin your eyesight. Scientific American reports this myth started back in the 1960 s because of faulty radiation-emitting TVs( that were quickly remembered ). If “youre feeling” your eyes dedicating out on you, all they need is most likely a break from screens.
19. Is red wine better for you than white wine ?
Flickr/ Sharon Mollerus
Short answer: No
This is one of those findings that changes all the time. In 2015, Vox investigated more than 30 analyzes about the effects of red wine and found that while drinking a small amount of alcohol each day( one beverage for women, two for men) is associated with a lower hazard of heart disease and higher life expectancy, red wine in particular doesn’t influence that very much. Run too overboard, and you’re also looking at some problems.
If you’re looking purely at nutritional content, red wine might win out of white because it tends to have less sugar and more minerals.
20. Is bottled water better for you than tap water ?
Flickr/ next .
Short answer: No
Unless you live in an area with known unclean drinking water, opting for bottled water isn’t doing you much good. In fact, you could be missing out on fluoride, which is important for keeping teeth from disintegrating. And it’s not doing the environment any good at all.
Read the original article on Tech Insider . Copyright 2016.
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The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has
The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has
The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has
The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has
The Definitive, Scientific Answers To 20 Health Questions Everyone Has