I love the term bed lunch. While a friend of mine was growing up in North Dakota, this is what they called a piece of pie, or other snack, people enjoyed right before bedtime. Now there's good news about bed lunch -- it doesn't contribute disproportionately to weight gain.
Rachel C Vreeman and Aaron E Carroll are pediatrics researchers fighting the good fight to bring more evidence into family life. Previously they've busted myths about drinking 8 glasses of water/day, fingernails continuing to grow after death, and other common beliefs. Now they've published new evidence challenging conventional wisdom about typical wintertime activities:
"In the pursuit of scientific truth, even widely held medical beliefs require examination or re-examination. Both physicians and non-physicians sometimes believe things about our bodies that just are not true. As a reminder of the need to apply scientific investigation to conventional wisdom, we previously discussed the evidence disputing seven commonly held medical myths. The holiday season presents a further opportunity to probe medical beliefs recounted during this time of the year."
Sugar makes children hyperactive. "At least 12 double blind randomised controlled trials have examined how children react to diets containing different levels of sugar. None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behaviour between the children who had sugar and those who did not. This includes sugar from sweets, chocolate, and natural sources.... Scientists have even studied how parents react to the sugar myth. When parents think their children have been given a drink containing sugar (even if it is really sugar-free), they rate their children’s behaviour as more hyperactive. The differences in the children’s behaviour were all in the parents’ minds."
Bed lunch makes you gain more weight. There is some correlation between overweight and late-night eating, but "just because obesity and eating more meals at night are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other." Research shows "taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when calories are consumed."
Poinsettias are toxic. (I blogged about this in 2006, doing my part to salvage the reputation of the beleaguered flower in No, Virginia, there really aren't any poisonous poinsettias).
Hatless people lose 1/3 of their body heat through their heads. Actually, you lose heat from any exposed area of your body -- proportionally. This myth resulted from a flawed army field study that just won't die.
Suicides increase over the holidays. Nope: "The epidemiological evidence just does not support that the holidays are a time of increased risk."
Permit me an Ebenezer moment: Among many others, our local CBS News covered these medical myths. I'm pleased the mainstream media picked up the story, though I still cringe when they say things like "highly scientific". And I wish their web coverage included links to the journals publishing the research, or at least the names of the published articles.
Vreeman and Carroll's article, Christmas 2008 Seasonal Fayre: Festive medical myths, can be cited as BMJ 2008;337:a2769.
Valuable information! Looking forward to seeing your notes posted.
Posted by: Meg Mass 2000 | Tuesday, 18 May 2010 at 12:11 AM
Tracy-
I love this! Now, I can consume loads of sugar, skip the hat, AND eat before going to bed. That about takes care of my resolution list.
good stuff.
thanks!
- drew
Posted by: drew | Monday, 05 January 2009 at 05:27 PM
Tracy-
I love this! Now, I can consume loads of sugar, skip the hat, AND eat before going to bed. That about takes care of my resolution list.
good stuff.
thanks!
- drew
Posted by: drew | Monday, 05 January 2009 at 05:27 PM