Wednesday 4 March 2020

Are these strange saying around health and wellbeing true? Part 2

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Following on from your four tales in the previous entry - let's have a look at a few more tales around health, and if they are based in truth.

"Carrots help you see in the dark."
This is the tale:
During World War 2, the Luftwaffe often struck under cover of darkness. Therefore the government ordered "blackouts", to make it more difficult for planes to hit targets. The RAF were able to repel the fighters in part due to the development of a new, secret Radar technology. However, to keep that under wraps, we removed any evidence of this research, and provided another reason foe their success - carrots!!  The Ministry of Defence announced to newspapers that because the pilots were eating an excess of ths vegetable their eyesight had improved.  There is no actual evidence the Germans were fooled, but it was an interesting discussion.

Ironically, the orange root vegetables have now been found to be a rich source of beta carotene, a type of Vitamin A, that helps to maintain good vision. (it should be noted that "maintain" is the crucial word there. It does not improve vision).
If you are deficient in beta carotene, you may suffer from night blindness, so including carrots in your diet can possibly help your eyesight not deteriorate in the dark.  If you do not have sight issues, a balanced mix of fruit and vegetables will help to maintain your general eye health.

"Crusts make your hair curly."
Sorry. No spooky diet trick can magically give you a dream hairdo.  Science is very clear. It says that whether your hair is straight, wavy, or covered in curls, that is all down to genetics, and crunchy sandwiches will make no difference at all.
But are crusts healthy anyway?  This depends very much on where you look for your information. Some say they are one of the healthiest bits of a loaf - with higher amounts of nutrients and good bacteria. However, I have also come across sites that say there is no real difference at all.  But, I have found no site that says eating them is bad.

"Cheese at night will give you nightmares."
There was a study that worked with 200 people. They were all asked to eat slices of cheese before bedtime and the report back on their slumber. Around 75 per cent slept soundly with no nightmares.
So what do we think?  Well, you certainly should not go to sleep with a full stomach. If you do it means you might spend more of the night in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which science has proven is the state where you have the most vivid dreams.
Eating too close to bedtime may also cause indigestion, bloating, gas and other tummy troubles.

"A hot bath can make a man infertile."
It probably will not go that far. But we should listen a bit to this advice.
Relaxing in a steaming bath significantly raises your body temperature, and that can affect the male ability to make healthy sperm.  Apparently sperm mobility is better in people who avoid regular hot baths. Experts recommend a lukewarm shower.

"Cracking your knuckles gives you Arthritis."
No, no and no again,. This is definitely just an old wive's tale.
There is no scientific evidence of any kind that popping or clicking joints raises the risk of Arthritis. The noise can make others wince, but it is caused by air bubbles in the liquid that lubricates your joints.

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