Today you can see a lot of scary headlines on the Internet and decide that everything around you is dangerous for you. Not only is the familiar world becoming dangerous, but the media is further fanning the flames, claiming that the most ordinary things can seriously harm or even kill you. However, this is not the case, and much of what is touted as dangerous is not.
You can't boil water twice (these are just grandma's tales)
This myth is most popular in the UK, where water is often boiled for tea. He claims that if you boil water twice or more, toxins appear in the water or impurities in it "concentrate" to dangerous levels that can even cause cancer. But many people believe in this, and sources on the Internet (and not only) are actively promoting this stupidity, which, in fact, is not the truth.
If there is something in the water that does not evaporate during the boil, boiling the water again will slightly reduce the volume of the water, and thus the impurities will become more concentrated, but you will not be able to increase or intensify the "toxins". In other words, the amount of impurities that cannot be removed during the first boil will remain the same during the second boil. Not only will you increase the concentration (which, again, does not increase the actual total amount of impurities), you will have to boil the water for some time, and most people take it off the heat after it just starts to boil, so it takes a while. there is not enough water to boil off.
Leaving oil out of the fridge is controversial, but experts say it's safe
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The debate over whether oil can be left out of the refrigerator has been around for a long time, with many people leaning towards one side or the other. Some people find it perfectly safe to leave oil out of the refrigerator for hours or days. Others agree, but insist that the butter should be covered. Still others say it's safe to store oil exclusively in the refrigerator. Those of the latter opinion generally follow general guidelines for safe food storage, insisting that if the health department requires them to be refrigerated, it is unsafe to leave them outside the refrigerator.
However, according to health professionals, you can actually safely store oil for up to 10 days under certain conditions. This, of course, assumes a moderate temperature, meaning you won't be able to keep the oil at room temperature in hot summers and without air conditioning. In addition, if you open the packaging, contaminants can collect on the oil and it can turn rancid, which will only take a few hours or a couple of days instead of 10 days. However, covered oil under the correct temperature conditions can be stored for quite a long time, because it is mainly composed of fat (usually over 80%) and only about 20% or less is water. This large amount of fat surrounds the water molecules and protects them, helping the oil avoid contamination.
People think that watching TV in the dark or reading in a dark room is harmful
Many people are convinced that watching TV in a dark room or reading in dim light is harmful to your eyes to the point that it will noticeably impair your vision over time. Many parents have talked about this over the years, some, perhaps, to get their children to look up from a book or gadget and go to bed, but sometimes out of simple ignorance.
Researchers who have studied this myth have come to the conclusion that this is precisely a myth. When the control group was compared to those who watched TV in the dark, the conclusion was that the only real difference between the two was that those who watched TV in the dark were slightly slower at solving problems, less focused, and were more sleepy. Of course, this can easily be explained by the fact that their brain thinks that they should feel sleepy because they spent a lot of time in the dark. When it comes to reading in the dark, studies have shown that it can strain the eyes, which can lead to headaches, but not permanently damage the eyes.
Swallowing gum is not good, but not fatal
One of the dumbest myths that has been around for years is that if you swallow gum it will get stuck in your digestive system and take seven (or more) years to get through. Due to the fact that chewing gum is not a food, this myth has easily caught on, and many concerned parents enthusiastically share this with their children, in the hope that they will chew less gum, as it is mostly an unnecessary and meaningless product.
Be that as it may, this myth is complete nonsense. Like most things that our bodies cannot properly digest, gum simply passes through our digestive tract, and it usually takes a few days at most. This does not mean that complications cannot arise if you swallow too much gum, but this happens quite rarely. Swallowing a large amount in a short period of time can potentially lead to a blockage in your intestines, but for that you need to chew and swallow it constantly.
Artificial sweeteners cause cancer (according to popular belief)
This myth is very popular and is lovingly used by sugar addicts all over the world, who joyfully proclaim that while sugar can be unhealthy, it at least does not have the cancer-causing properties that were created in the laboratory, like these horrible artificial sweeteners. Even many of those who use artificial sweeteners at least partially believe this myth and try to use ones that are "less likely to cause cancer" or simply accept it as a necessary evil, claiming that sugar is unhealthy for other reasons and highly addictive.
The truth, however, is that there is no evidence that any of the popular artificial sweeteners you see on the market cause cancer or contribute to cancer in any way. However, this does not mean that they are effective. According to many studies, they do not satisfy our sugar cravings very well, which sometimes leads us to eat more calories or drink more unhealthy drinks in an attempt to satisfy these cravings. However, in any case, this does not make them harmful.
There is a widespread belief that the habit of crunching joints leads to arthritis
Many kids loved to crunch their knuckles for fun, usually to look or feel cool. At the same time, children, growing up, often hear two different myths about this habit, both of which are (of course) complete nonsense. The first myth is that if you crunch your knuckles, you increase your risk of developing joint diseases such as arthritis. In other words, it is very, very harmful. Another myth that shocks children states that this habit leads to an increase in the size of joints, which is ridiculous.
But crunching your knuckles won't make them bigger. Moreover, this habit will not lead to arthritis. But she can be annoying to others, especially if you do it in the wrong environment. Of course, like everything else, a bad habit once learned can be changed.
Researchers failed to blow up a fuel column using a cell phone
We are taught certain things about safety that we take for granted, such as not lighting a cigarette or keeping an open flame near a fuel dispenser (that's true, don't). But with the advent of cell phones, they began to tell us that we should not keep a cell phone next to a speaker, otherwise an explosion could occur. Some scientists still believe in theory that this could happen. For this reason, do not be surprised if the gas station tells you to turn off your cell phone, or even turn off the column if you disobey.
However, some people, such as the MythBusters team, have tried to provoke such a situation, and they often have more budget than many legitimate research projects, none of which have been successful either. In theory, a cell phone can generate a spark that can ignite fuel vapors in the air and cause an explosion. This seems like a sound idea, and so do not be surprised if gas stations keep pushing on it due to excessive caution, however, scientists were unable to blow up the column during their research.
Carbohydrates are extremely bad for you
Many diets advise you to cut out carbohydrates, and many people believe that carbohydrates are bad in one form or another. However, carbohydrates make up one of three important macronutrient groups: fats, proteins, and carbohydrates. For food to be healthy, we need all of these groups. Carbohydrates are legumes, fruits and vegetables, not just grains, as many people think. The main form of carbohydrates are fruit sugars, which are quickly converted to glucose, starches, which are more slowly broken down into glucose, and fiber, which we cannot digest, but which helps keep our digestive system moving and our intestines healthy.
We need a certain amount of protein, and carbohydrates give us a lot of energy, slowly converting to sugar. The reason many people believe carbohydrates are bad and try to eliminate them from their diet is because many carbohydrates today are industrially processed, which is not good. Carbs like white bread cause a quick spike and then a drop in glucose levels, while whole carbs like whole grains are much slower to convert to glucose and do not contribute to a spike in blood sugar. In addition, many processed carbohydrates are deprived of large amounts of nutrients, even after bleaching and subsequent vitamin fortification.
Many people think that swimming 30 minutes after eating will cause seizures and you could drown
This myth has long been passed down from mouth to mouth, and many people regard it as the real gospel. Many children, after leaving the table, literally time the clock to make sure that 30 minutes have passed before heading to the pool. Some are even told to start swimming in shallow water to avoid the risk of seizures, drowning and dying in the pool. Today, many continue to tell this to children and regard it as a scientific truth.
However, in fact, these are nothing more than grandmother's fairy tales. Now that many myths are debunked on the Internet, scientists claim that this is all nonsense. There is no reason (unless you are too overeating) that swimming will cause severe stomach cramps or pain. It seems that the claim that stomach cramps can cause you to drown comes from someone who cannot swim. Any competent swimmer can swim or move around in the water effortlessly. Unless you're in really rough water (and a really bad swimmer), the likelihood that a stomach cramps (even if it happened) would put you in mortal danger is ridiculous.
Which is worse: sitting or standing at the table?
For some time, with the boom in the tech sector, new science emerged and new kinds of job planning were being tried in offices. One of the interesting ideas suggested that perhaps standing at a table would be better for our posture than sitting at a table, and they decided to implement this idea in some offices using special "standing" tables. Some offices have also tried weird hybrid desks, while others have even put up slides or other weird things to keep their spirits up and perhaps nudge employees to be more active in order to maintain posture and health. But mostly just for fun when it comes to roller coasters).
Be that as it may, all this has led to a constant debate about what is best for us - to sit at the table, or stand at it, or both. And, as you might guess, both. After looking at the many offices using different approaches, it was concluded that positional change is important, and especially good if you can go for a walk during lunch or something. Humans are just made to move, so changing positions during the day and walking (not just one if you can afford it) is the best thing you can do. We must not sit still. We have not yet reached this stage of development.