The world of health and wellness is a fascinating one, but it is also a very complex subject and therefore controversial too. Unfortunately, the health area is rife with misleading myths, many of which tend to pervade the internet and social channels ending up influencing millions of users.

I have attempted below to apply the latest scientific, factual thinking and hopefully dispel twenty common myths that you may have read about previously.

 

1. We Get Enough Protein in our Diet

Carbs and fats tend to be blamed for many health issues, but usually protein escapes this. We know that unlike carbs and fats, that protein is essential for life. We simply cannot survive without it, as it is used throughout our body for many things such as maintaining muscle health, building cartilage, it’s required for healthy and elastic blood vessels, and it is the building block for thousands of critically important enzymes throughout our body.

However, some would say that we eat enough protein and some even say we eat too much.

The ‘old’ RDA (minimum daily target) for protein is 0.8 grams per kilo of weight, per day, which equates to 60 grams for a 75 kg person. This RDA was set some time ago and did not take account of the requirement of older adults, who need around 1.2 g/kg/day which is around 90 grams a day. This updated RDA was the subject of an international meeting, attended by the top protein and gerontology experts in the world (the ‘Protage’ Study). Failing to meet this daily requirement will mean that there will be a greater propensity to lose health muscle tissue as we age. This is known as ‘sarcopenia’ and is a fundamental hallmark of ageing.

 Unfortunately, the latest PHE (Public Health England) data shows that around 80% of older adults are failing to eat anywhere near this new updated daily target of protein, thereby subjecting these people to a more rapid and unhealthy loss of muscle with age.

Fact: We do not eat enough protein, especially as we age.

 

2. We Get Everything We Need in our Diet

Again, this is a controversial area with so much ‘fake news’ being bounded around the internet and even in some health magazines too. In fact, many dieticians still believe this, as it is most probably still being taught in schools and universities. However, this is now accepted as a little out of date and fails to take account of actual data generated by PHS (Public Health England) in UK National Diet & Nutrition Surveys.

Data on older adults was published in the science press some twenty years ago, even then, detailing these nutritional insufficiencies (failing to reach the daily required target or RDA). Things have not changed that much over the last twenty years as the most recent Public Health England studies show, if anything, the intake of these critically important micronutrients has dropped even further.

Data shows clearly that large percentages of older adults are failing to reach the RDA on many important vitamins and minerals, which of course will mean that many health areas can suffer later in life. Examples include Vitamin D, where over 80% of people are failing to reach the RDA. Vitamin E, known for its important protection of cells against oxidative attack is another key vitamin that 90% of the over 50s are just failing to acquire from their diet alone. Vitamin B12 is another micronutrient that needs to be separated from protein in the stomach, using hydrochloric acid, but older adults have less acid, meaning that B12 absorption is far less efficient. Magnesium is another example, and this particular mineral is involved in over three hundred biochemical reactions, hence an absolutely essential mineral.

The list is longer, but suffice it to say, older adults simply do not get what they need from their food alone ,so sensible supplementation from a quality Brand  can be a healthy addition to their diet, in order to ensure that all such nutrient deficiencies are eliminated.

 

3. Carbs are Unhealthy

Public health messaging over many years have typically made fat the unhealthy villain, but more recently carbohydrates are also seen as the ‘enemy’ now. We know that eating large amounts of sugary drinks or sugar itself is very unhealthy and also fattening too. But what about carbs in general? Are they all that bad?

Glucose, which is the most basic of carbs, is required for normal energy production and carbs in general break down to supply glucose to the main energy producing metabolic cycle (the Kerb cycle). Glucose then enters muscle and also the liver as ‘glycogen’ for energy storage and later use. So how can this be so bad for us?

But carbs do not just refer to refined sugars. Carbs can be monosaccharides (the simplest form of carbohydrate) such as glucose or fructose, they can include disaccharides like sucrose or table sugar, or they can also include polysaccharides such as maltodextrin, starches, and fibre. We all accept that fibre is a healthy carb, so it is quite wrong to taint all carbs with the same negative brush.

Re weight loss, many studies have been carried out on isocaloric diets (those using the same number of calories) with high carb vs high fat diets and these show that there is little to choose between them regarding weight loss. It seems that total calories ingested is a key determinant of weight gain. Other studies have gone further and looked at other health markers such as cholesterol and LDL (the so called ‘bad’ cholesterol) and concluded that again, there is little difference between these two extreme diet regimes.

Unfortunately, in the world of health, there are some who are so wedded and biased to a particular type of diet, that even the very latest science will not convince them that other views exist. These are the people who become so biased, that they fail to listen to others’ point of view, even when backed up with data!

Providing carbohydrates are not eaten to excess and that sugar itself is limited from the diet, there are some healthy carbs such as fibre which are an essential part of a healthy diet; in fact, the daily target for fibre is around 30 grams a day, seldom reached by most people.

 

4. Fat is Bad for You

One of the main health messages over the last few decades has been the constant attack on fat and its apparent danger to our health. The traditional way to lose weight too, has been all about lowering fat in our diet, due to its higher calorific value compared to carbs and proteins (7 kcal vs 4 kcals) .

But eliminating all things fat in our diet is actually unhealthy, as fats of various types are in fact required for brain and heart health, such as the well know omega 3 fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) found in oily fish. The centre of our retina in our eye (macula) also needs DHA and EPA Omega 3 fats, so again, fats are essential in our diet. In addition, hormones such as testosterone, estrogens and even Vitamin D (which is a pre-hormone) needs unsaturated fat as its precursor during its biochemical synthesis in our bodies.

The scientific literature is packed with thousands of articles on fats, saturated fats, unsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats, unfortunately with conflicting data on health effects.

 

However, one fat in particular, has been unanimously identified as bad for our health and these are trans fats which are found in baked goods, pastries, some margarines, pizzas and fried foods. These are artificially formed during the ‘hydrogenation’ of vegetable oils. These types of fats raise LDL (the ‘bad’ cholesterol) and are linked to cardiovascular disease and even cancers. Most products in the USA should now contain very low trans fats content or even phased these out completely.

In summary, fat is not bad providing it is not eaten in excess (like most things), except for the trans fats, as described above.

5. Egg Yolks are Unhealthy due to Cholesterol Content

Eggs are a nutritious food containing healthy protein, fats, and other nutrients such as choline, required for healthy liver function and also brain health too. A typical egg will contain around 6 grams of high-quality protein, 5 grams of fat, 200 mgs of cholesterol and also other essential nutrients such as lutein and zeaxanthin, which have been shown to reduce the risk of AMD (age related macular degeneration).

However, eggs seem to have been associated with just one particular nutrient and that is cholesterol. In reality, this cholesterol story has been blown out of all proportion by the media.

 

It is accepted that keeping cholesterol levels down is a sensible health goal, though this advice is being challenged by some of the latest science. Surprising to some, it is actually quite difficult to change your measured cholesterol content as around 80% of your blood cholesterol is manufactured endogenously by the liver, leaving low cholesterol diets ineffective in lowering levels.

Finally, clinical randomised controlled trials (RCT’s) which are the ‘gold standard’ in terms of proving causation, showed no association between egg consumption and cholesterol levels, except in certain individuals who had a genetic predisposition as hyper-response to dietary cholesterol.

 

6. Red Meat is Bad for your Health 

Red meat has also come under the healthy eating cosh recently, but as with most nutrition areas, there is a huge amount of misleading information on this subject. The subject of cancer has also been associated too when meat is being discussed in the area of health.

The problem again is that nutrition is so complex that statements such as ‘X’ causes cancer, or ‘Y’ raises cholesterol are just too simple. And misleading too. In fact, virtually all molecules or foods in general have the potential to be involved in the development of cancers of various types when taken to the extreme, so language like this is simply unhelpful.

Much of the problem is the quality of studies and the interpretation of the results, with some authors drawing conclusions which are then taken out of context, especially when the media gets hold of the abstract and makes headline statements to attract readership!

The evidence, in summary, does indeed cast a cancer shadow over meat in general….however, what tends to get mixed in with the studies involving meat is processed meat, which has indeed been proven to raise the risk of acquiring cancer, albeit very small in reality. It is these studies which blindly include the studies on processed meat which unfortunately seem to have tainted even organically farmed meat as a whole.

 

Cutting out barbequed and processed meat will help lower your risk of cancer, while eliminating properly cooked, quality red meat will have little effect on cancer risk in reality.

7. Salt is Bad for You

This is again, an area full of controversy and scientific trials which do not always agree in their conclusion. Most studies do in fact associate high salt intake with high blood pressure and kidney damage, with some reports demonstrating  cognitive decline too.

But salt is a nutrient which is essential in our diet, as it participates in many biochemical reactions all over our body. Salt helps with fluid balance within the cells, nerve transmission and even muscle function.

According to the NHS, adults should limit their salt intake to no more than 6 grams a day (which is 2.4g of sodium) and avoid eating salty processed foods such as gravy granules, ham, crisps, bacon, salted nuts, sausages, some soups and even cheese. In fact, the WHO recommend a salt intake of less than 5g a day.

Salt reduction can be important with people who have hypertension (high BP), but in the general population salt is perfectly harmless providing it is not taken to excess, like most nutrients.

 

8. HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is Far Worse than Sugar

So firstly, what is HFCS? Basically, it’s a mixture of two sugars, namely fructose and glucose and is very widely used across the food spectrum to sweeten many different types of foods, due to its low cost. Some believe that the unhealthy nature of HFCS is due to its high fructose content (42-55%), but in reality, table sugar, or sucrose, will contain 50% fructose and 50% glucose, so is very similar. The main difference of course is that the glucose and fructose molecules are joined together in HFCS via a chemical bond, which the body breaks down quickly on entering the digestive system.

There are also scientific trials showing that the metabolic response of hormones, such as insulin and leptin, is the same across both sugar and HFCS. Nor is HFCS anymore ‘obesogenic’ (weight gain) than sugar itself either.

In closing this myth, its is important to still point out that consuming excess amounts of either HFCS or sugar, especially in excess, is indeed very unhealthy and should be avoided.

 

9. Natural Food Nutrients are Always Better than Supplements

This myth is a classic that is banded around many health magazines, pushing the benefits of ‘naturality’ and food first. Of course, food should be the priority and a supplement is exactly that; a supplement to the diet.

However, this myth needs to be corrected.

For example, most people have heard of turmeric and the benefits of this natural food nutrient, due to its curcumin content, which is really the active ingredient within. However, turmeric/curcumin is very poorly absorbed by then body. However, some supplements are available comprising curcumin and specially formulated absorption agents such as black pepper extract, phospholipid complexes or even liposomes. These enhance bioavailability and absorption significantly compared to food-based turmeric.

Another example. The very important folic acid (Vitamin B9) is an interesting example of superior bioavailability of supplement based folic acid, compared to folate, the natural source as found in various green vegetables.

Vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) is typically very tightly bound to plant membranes and so is not particularly bioavailable, yet Vitamin K1 from supplements is much easier to absorb.

 

There are more examples, but the myth that natural is always a better source is simply untrue.

10. Fresh is More Nutritious than Frozen

We know that fruit and vegetables are full of healthy phytonutrients, fibre, antioxidant vitamins and also minerals. But most people would prefer fresh food to frozen, of course, but is it actually more nutritious? Not necessarily.

Most fresh food is picked before it is fully ripened, as much of this ripening can occur during transport and storage. Some food can spend anywhere between three days to several weeks in transit before arriving at a depot for onward distribution locally. In fact, some fruits can be stored up to twelve months before being sold. However, there can be significant loss of certain nutrients such as Vitamin C which can degrade by up to 50% during the first 24-48hours post-harvest.

With frozen food, it is usually ripened at source before undergoing washing, blanching, cutting and frozen. Usually, no chemicals are used either which is a benefit. Freezing typically helps to retain much of the nutritional value of the original picking for an extended period, though the blanching process can sometimes cause loss of some Vitamin C and also certain B Vitamins too

The simple truth is that there is no significant difference between fresh or frozen food from a nutritional point of view.

11. You Should ‘Eat Clean’ (whatever that means)

First of all, this phrase is highly misleading and is in reality, a jumble of misconceptions, slick marketing and ill-placed beliefs, with little real science. Few can actually agree what clean eating is. For some this is avoiding allergens, for others it is all about going meat and dairy free. Pesticide free, organic, hormone free, GMO free, natural, vegan are just some of the countless terms banded about in various health magazines.

The issue here is that these ‘diets’ refer to what is excluded and many of these exclusions can lead to some nutrient deficiencies. For example, it is known that vegans will not be able to get vitamin B12 from a purely vegan diet and will need to take a B12 supplement. They may be short of high-quality protein and also omega 3 fats too, so planning such a diet is important in order to understand the consequences and additional requirements.

Organic food is another huge and controversial topic when it comes to health. However, the science unfortunately has failed to show any genuine health benefits between organic and non-organic foods, in controlled clinical trials.

Avoiding pesticide residues however does make sense. We know that pesticides are toxic, and many survive the processing that takes place post picking. Having said this, the vast majority of food contains levels which are well below the so called ‘tolerable limits’ set by organisations like the Environmental Protection Agency in the US or by EFSA in Europe.

So, eating clean can mean a multitude of habits, many of which may even cause nutrient deficiencies if not researched properly. Eating whole food and eating organic is a sensible way to enjoy foods without falling into the trap of ‘trendy’ diets, some of which can be unhealthy.

 

12. It is Healthy to ‘Detox’ Regularly

But what does detox actually mean? Again, this is one of those over-used marketing language which is found all over the popular health press and is usually promoting juice diets and other hypo-caloric diets (lower calories) aimed at losing weight. Of course, weight will indeed be lost when there is caloric restriction, but most of these diets are unsustainable and weight is generally put back on post diet, which is a precursor to unhealthy yoyo dieting.

A survey carried out in 2009 covering fifteen Companies selling so called detox products, failed to name any toxins that their detox product helped eliminate.

In reality, our bodies are already armed and cocked to deal with any toxic product in our metabolism using our liver, kidneys, lungs and other organs which effectively excrete the toxins very efficiently. Also, a healthily fed body will be much more able to eliminate toxins via the usual metabolic routes compared to a person who is consuming far less calories( and therefore low on healthy micronutrients too) .

Even the US National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health have agreed that there are no agreed, firm health conclusions about detox diets. Furthermore, they conclude in their publication that many of these detox diets can be harmful.

 

13. You Should Never Miss Breakfast

This is another commonly held belief and also a complex and controversial area. Currently, the current health guidelines say we should indeed all be eating breakfast every day.

There are some epidemiological studies which show that ‘breakfast skippers’ have a higher BMI (body mass index) compared to those that eat a morning hearty breakfast. The problem is that some people will compensate for their missed breakfast by eating far more calories later in the day, basically overcompensating and therefore add fat mass to their body composition.

The problem with ‘epi’ studies like this is that they only show an ‘association’ and not a proven cause or proven link with the habit itself. An epi study may be indicative, but there are many other factors associated with breakfast skippers that could interfere with the conclusion. These are called ‘confounders.’ For examples breakfast skippers are generally shown to be less healthy people but did skipping breakfast cause this?!

Studies have shown also that skipping breakfast has no real effect on your metabolic rate either.

Furthermore, fasted training has not been proven to increase fat burning efficiency overall or even weight loss in healthy cohorts.

In conclusion, people who must eat breakfast include pregnant women, growing children, those with impaired glucose regulation, people who want to exercise intensively in the morning and those who wish to add muscle mass during training.

 

14. Weight Loss is All About ‘Calories In, Calories Out’

Most of us have heard this phrase used many times in the health press, I’m sure, but it is far more complex than simple thermodynamics like this, as the biological system is simply not a ‘closed system’, making conclusions like this impossible to agree upon.

It is true to some extent that cutting calories will help with weight loss and so will additional calorie burning from exercise. However, there are many other factors which can influence weight gain/loss. These include genetic traits, hormonal imbalances, hypothyroidism and also some medications may even have an effect on your metabolism too.

More recently, the microbiome is now being seen to play a very important role in weight control and across many facets of our general health. This is not that surprising when you consider that we have around 2 kilograms of bacteria in our gut, which behaves like our own internal metabolic factory. There are many more bacterial cells in our gut than in our whole body making us more bacterial than human! It’s no wonder that out gut microbiome exerts such a significant effect.

Also, our microbiome can make a huge difference to how we metabolise food. There are studies that have been carried out on identical twins, with the same genetics, which show that one twin can respond very differently to a certain food compared to the other twin, whether it be weight gain, glucose spikes and so on. Calories in does make a difference, of course, but it’s just not quite as simples this.

 

15. Supplements are a Waste of Money

This is unfortunately sometimes a belief even of health professionals. Having said this, doctors receive virtually no formal training in nutrition during their five years at medical school and therefore are not particularly able to advise on dietary supplementation.

In fact, it is still taught at various schools and universities that we get all the nutrition we need from our food and that supplements play no part in supporting our health. This is now considered out of date dogma by those who take time to read the latest science and the latest data on this subject. Public Health England, via their NDNS (National Diet and Nutrition Survey) have carried out surveys of what people across the UK are actually eating, rather than what they should eat and the data is quite shocking in terms of nutritional deficiencies, especially in older populations.

 Those on restrictive diets will typically have low micronutrient intake, making them vulnerable to chronic ailments, infections, bone loss, poor muscle health, low immune function and so on. Also, many will be on medications which are well known to inhibit absorption of many such essential micronutrients. Older guts absorb less than younger guts and older skin makes Vitamin D from sunlight less effectively than their younger counterparts, making these people quite deficient in quite many key vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, biotin, riboflavin, magnesium, copper, iodine, and iron too. This is unhealthy and most of these deficiencies can be solved with a simple, well formulated multi-nutrient supplement.

 

16. Being Skinny Means Being Healthy

This is totally untrue.

We know of course that obesity is associated with many health conditions such as heart and cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression, and certain cancers. However, there are many very unhealthy, thin people, just as there are some very fit and healthy people with a BMI of over 25.

Firstly, a thin person can still have a large amount of adipose tissue or fat within, adjoined to their internal organs. This is called ‘visceral’ fat and is by far the most dangerous and unhealthy type of fat to have. Fatty liver disease is a good example of high visceral fat which can lead to very serious health issues. In fact, genetics tends to determine how we each individually store our excess fat, whether this be under the skin or around internal organs. Some skinny people can also show very high levels of cholesterol in their blood too, with some being diabetic , so again, outward appearance or ‘phenotype’ can be misleading.

Healthy eating combined with exercise with annual blood tests is undoubtedly the best way to look after your health and not be deceived by weight or outward appearance alone.

 

17. High Cholesterol Foods are Unhealthy

Most people believe that cholesterol is simply ‘bad,’ but without it, our cells would die, as cholesterol is required as part of the cell membrane to operate properly. It has grown a bad reputation over the years, with many myths still circulating, both in the popular press and even in some health magazines too. But more recent science shows that cholesterol in our diet is far less important than previously understood.

Cholesterol brings into the body the main building block for hormones such as testosterone (male hormone), oestradiol (female hormone) and even vitamin D. You don’t need to be a chemist to see the similarity of cholesterol to these other key biomolecules and how it can easily be turned into both of these with minor modification.

It also helps to make the very important digestive bile acids made in the liver, which are essential for effective digestion of both fats and oils from our diet.

So, cholesterol is needed to sustain life. It is found in various meats, cheese, and eggs, though we don’t need to consume cholesterol in our diet, as the body can make this internally via a complex set of thirty-seven biochemical reactions.

 

In fact, only about 20% of blood plasma cholesterol will come from our diet, with the rest being synthesised in our liver from fats, sugars, and protein. We make around a gram (1000 milligrams) of cholesterol each day and typically we have around 35 grams in our body in total, at any one time. As a comparison we digest only around 300 milligrams a day.

To put this into perspective, if you eat around 200 milligrams of cholesterol this will only raise your cholesterol level by around 4mg/dL, which is a small increase, considering optimal cholesterol levels are around 200mg/dL.

 Also, the body is very clever, in that its endogenous synthesis (cholesterol synthesis within the body) slows down if we digest cholesterol in our food. This is one of the reasons why reducing dietary cholesterol makes little difference to total measured blood cholesterol.

18. Carbs Make You Gain weight

Most people will remember how fat has been demonised over the years as extremely unhealthy for us. The debate has more recently turned to carbs, which are now also being demonised as unhealthy and some practitioners are even now wedded to the so called ‘keto’ or ketogenic diets, where over 70-80% of caloric intake is fat based, thereby avoiding carbs.

In reality, eating a modest amount of nutritious carbohydrate-based foods such as vegetables grains and legumes will most likely benefit your health and not detract from it. The so-called Mediterranean diet is believed by most scientists to be a healthy type of diet and this diet is composed of fruits, veg, healthy carbs, nuts, seeds, heart healthy fats and protein, plus some red wine of course!

However, carb rich foods such as cakes, biscuits, sweets and also sweetened drinks are unhealthy foods which can cause weight gain and also promote a series of potential chronic disease too such as diabetes and heart disease.

 

19. Coffee is Bad for You

A few years ago, coffee seemed to get a bad rap on health, despite it being one of the world’s most popular beverages. Caffeine was always seen as the main culprit, though more recently caffeine has been shown to have some brain and cognition benefits, with some studies even showing benefits to early dementia and even type 2 diabetes, though more research is needed.

Many of these benefits may be due to its high polyphenol content, which have antioxidant properties. Anti-oxidants mop up and reduce ‘nasty ‘free radicals’ within the body and thereby prevent what is known as ‘oxidative stress,’ which is one of the few hallmarks of ageing and chronic disease.

Bottom line: Coffee is not bad for you at all ,but as is usual with any food , drink or nutrient, too much of a good thing can become bad, so limit the number of cups of coffee daily.

 

20. Exercise if the best Way to Lose Weight

Exercise and daily physical activity are accepted by most scientists as the most important ways of maintaining our health. Activity has the ability to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, hypertension and even help maintain our brain health too. If exercise could be put into a pill, it would be the most incredibly effective pharmaceutical on the planet.

It is well accepted that staying active and eating healthily will also mean that your weight too will be controlled, and your BMI will not end up rising up and up as you get that bit older. However, exercise, though key to our health, is less effective for weight loss compared to controlling our nutritional intake.

As excessive calories in our diet will add unwanted fat, it is important to understand that exercise will only burn off so many calories in a session and it will be far more effective to cut down caloric intake if fat reduction is the goal.

An hour in the gym or the weights room may burn off 3-400 calories. Thirty minutes on the treadmill may burn off 250-300 calories and so on but eating a 100-gram chocolate bar will add back around 600 calories! Or in terms of exercise, this is an hour of intensive running or stairclimbing. It is easy to see that exercise, though vital to health, is far less effective for weight loss and fat mass reduction, than managing our nutritional intake. It is common to see people spend a good half an hour working hard on the treadmill and then supposedly rehydrating with a sugary so called ‘sports drink’ and end up adding back the calories they have just burned, making the exercise futile in terms of weight loss, if that is the goal.

They say that ‘abs are made in the kitchen’ and this maxim sums up the fact that healthy and controlled nutrition is a more effective way of maintaining or losing weight and improving overall body composition than exercise.