Why won't health myths die?

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Over and over on this site, I come across myths that should have died a long time ago..

E.g.

+eat more to lose weight, cause you're in "starvation mode"

+eat more frequently / more meals cause it speeds up metabolism

+you need to do high rep ab exercises (crunches/situps/planks) for a six pack

+unlike other muscles your abs can be trained everyday because they recover faster than other muscles

+eating complex carbs helps you lose weight because they're less likely to be stored as fat

+workout before you eat because it'll burn more fat than if you ate first

etc..

etc..

I try to debunk these myths when I come across them.. but no matter how often I point them out, the myths still frequent this site. Why are these myths so predominant over the truth and how can one put an end to them for good?

[saelym]

I can see the logic behind some things, but I'm definitely going to agree with you on the first two items you listed simply because of what my own body does.

On one hand, some studies have pointed out that a sudden, drastic drop in calorie intake can spur the body to store more fat. As far as we can tell, it's leftover function from living as hunter-gatherers, much like our cravings for high-calorie food. I'd be willing to say that our bodies developed to munch on stuff throughout the day, as we found it, rather than have "three square meals a day." But, hey, that's all speculation.

Personally, I've never gained weight from eating less - when I started my job, it cut back a great deal on whatever I picked at throughout the day. That made me drop enough weight for my friends and boyfriend to notice, but not so much that I'm unhealthy. I don't do well eating a couple of large meals each day - I get sick. Give me a bottle of Mango Tango Odwalla for breakfast, a granola bar for lunch, and some carrot and celery sticks before dinner and I'm a happy camper.

All I can say is people should find something that suits them. Maybe they'll respond better to a myth than they will the "accepted" way of doing something. Everybody can get confused by the high volume of advice out there. We should keep in mind it's about what works for the individual in some cases.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Regardless of if the body stores energy for later use or keeps it in the blood stream.. the energy is still in your body until you use it. That's what people seem to not understand, when they make claims like "don't eat before working out so you burn fat, because if you eat before you're just burning what you ate" There is energy in your blood stream (glycogen) and energy stored as fat (lipids).. if there isn't enough in the blood stream fat gets broken down, if there's too much, insulin is

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

released into the bloodstream, converting the excess glycogen into fat. So if you burn -500 calories of fat in the morning, then eat +500 calories (which gets stored as fat)...it's no different then if you eat +500 calories, then burn -500 calories of sugar in the bloodstream.. except that, with a glycogen/sugar-spike there is the possibility of potentially burning more energy in your workout.. which is why the reverse is actually true (you should eat before working out).

[saelym]

That makes total sense. The only thing I could dispute on that would be in the situations where people have a funky stomach and working out too soon after a meal will make them spill toss their cookies. Even then, an easy fix is available and obvious - just wait longer before working out.

That's just a "what if," though, and that ought to be recognized more for what it is, rather than being made into a mountain of distraction.

[shenholds09]

because people will always tell you what they think you want to hear

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Should I believe you... or are you just trying to tell me what I want to hear? ;)

[shenholds09]

im telling you the truth hun (:

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

I believe you.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Jedi mind trick o.o

[shenholds09]

lol your a silly one

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

If only we could jedi mind trick on a grand scale like Obama (I was born in Hawaii *waves hand*). :O problem solved.

[shenholds09]

lmao.. I don't like obama to begin with so OK (:

[Bowesy]

Because lies are advertised and spammed all over the internet and considering the internet is one of the most frequently used things by far people are believing all the bullsh*t that they stare at on p*rn sites, webpages and heck knows what else.

They could say, "Beat the bills for teeth whitening- Sperm is a natural teeth whitener" and I'd bet at least one numb-nuts would believe it.

The truth is a rare commodity and when heard people may believe it to be a lie and return to the lies; which are frequently told, believing them to be the truth seeing as so many people know about it.

As the lies about food circulate, the medical industry make a fortune off the bollocks about hair loss and losing weight with pills, because the above myths ain't working.

If you know the truth keep telling people and eventually someone will understand.

[DocClassic]

i agree with you for the most part. the only one I have issues with is the eat more frequently one. it may not directly speed up metabolism, but its still better for you regardless of if you are cutting or bulking. one I would add to your list is "do isolation movements to really target that muscle" 95% of the time, compound movements are more beneficial

[visual]

Food - Sometimes they're not explained properly or people cut out the important facts and repeat only what they can remember.

Abs - Idiots ... :D /lack of knowledge

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

idiots... uhhh slash lack of knowledge

Hahahaha. Thanks for clarifying what an idiot is to me :P

:O you're so smart. ;)

Perhaps misreading is a factor in a lot of it. Not many people seem to be able to read studies properly.. often citing meal frequency studies that don't retain equal energy consumption between both the control and experimental group.

[visual]

I don't know why people take health advice with a blissful ignorance. It's like magic, you can say just about anything and people will accept it.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

You might be on to something there. Maybe instead of saying they're wrong, I can make up some massive fib that allows them to think they're right, but makes them do what I, and scientific evidence, suggests they do.

[visual]

;)

[ThunderFox]

You can't. The health industry lives off of misinformation, and the average person knows nothing anout lifting weights. It will never be corrected on a massive scale you have to help one person at a time.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

That has been my realization so far. What is beyond me is.. I don't know why people answer health questions if they haven't done research beyond hearsay. It's like a strange desire to spread rumors.

[livi24]

Um. Get the president to make it official. Yeah that :3

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

I don't think I have Obama's support after being so enthusiastic about the upcoming supreme court decision that is gonna (hopefully) overturn his healthcare bill. :/ maybe on the next conservative president.

[livi24]

Hahah sky writing :D Do that! People always listen to sky writings. :3

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

That's a really long message to write in the sky.. do I write small, or make them run around buildings to read it all?

[livi24]

OH I know! Do a scavenger hunt! Make a map and hide slips of paper all around the globe for people to find about the truth about health stuff! GENIUS!

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

How many Nicholas Cage's are there in the world, though? Assuming the world is full of intelligent and explorative people, might not be the smart idea in solving this communication mystery.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

I like your creativity though. ^^

[livi24]

Well maybe they're important people, like famous actors or scientists or athletes. They could do it. :3

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Like, Will Smith and his Neuralyzer? Or like Manning, Timberlake and Oreoes.

[livi24]

All of them. 'Cause I'll tell them too. I got friends in all the right places yo. :3

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Oh, problem solved :3

[livi24]

Ahhh yeah :D

[asianfreak]

sometimes lots of people aren't willing to do some research for themselves and always believe what someone else tells them

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

Ah, a perfect mixture of gullibility and laziness.

[Belgie]

Health is full of myths.

Do you know how many exercise lovers STILL believe in "afterburn" ?

Your best bet in combating a myth is to provide links to accurate credible medical sources which show the myth is false.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

There may be some truth to EPOC, but the extensiveness of the claim I find doubtful. Your body does have to work more in order to recoup from working out (this is science we do know.. the body must transfer nutrient, rebuild/regrow and cooldown and therefor perform more work than typical).. but is it really twice or three times the calorie burn your heart usually does under regular stress? I doubt it. I'd guess anywhere from 0-100 calories is possible and beyond that is marketing lies.

[Hidden_P]

Theres lots of conflicting info.

Write an article, it seems a perfect topic!

[Love2Ball]

Well. The second point is sort of true. If you split the same amount of calories up in smaller meals it better than taking them in less frequent/bigger meals.

[NotJustAnotherGuy]

link

[brettb]

No, its not thee point in splitting the calories. Some people actually benefit eating more meals a day because they don't eat as many calories overall. That is the total goal here. If I eat 4 meals a day with less calories say 300-400 each meal, I won't eat nearly as much as I would eating 3 meals a day at 700-800 calories each. Its simple math.

[Lj236]

probably cause there are so many conflicting reports on health topics