Monday, August 08, 2005

Health Myths - What Not to Believe

Myth No. 1: eating late at night makes you fat

Four out of 10 Americans work evenings, nights or on shifts, and that means a lot are eating later. But won't eating late-night meals pack on extra pounds because we can't burn off the calories when we sleep?
"That is a myth," said dietitian Erica Blacksburg. "Eating late at night won't make you fat unless you go over your calorie load for that day."
But beware. People can gain weight eating late at night depending on what they eat. "A lot of people save their treats for the end of the day," said Blacksburg. "They feel like they deserve something special. They'll have ice cream, they'll have chips."

Myth No. 2: muscle turns to fat when you don't exercise

For those who spend three or four days a week sweating through cardio and strength training, what happens to the muscle when you stop working out? Does it turn to fat?
Fitness guru Donna Richardson Joyner explained that this can't happen. "Muscle is muscle, fat is fat and you can't turn one into the other," she said.
It's a source of confusion for many, but there's no comparison deep inside the body. Dr Walter Thompson, a professor of exercise science at Georgia State University, said muscle is much denser then fat and is more compact.
He said that when you stop working out the muscle becomes a bit flabby and "non-functional", but does not turn into fat.
And if you're hoping for the opposite, sorry but exercise does not transform fat into muscle.
"You have to get rid of fat by doing cardio", said Lara Szymanski at The Sports Club in LA, "You have to build lean muscle and that's what you do by strength training."

Myth No. 3: diet and exercise are all you need to lose weight

Need to lose a little weight? If you think counting calories and exercising are all it takes to melt those pounds you could be mistaken. You might be missing out on another key weight-loss component — sleep.
"Americans sleep the least of modern countries. And they also, as you know, are the most overweight and obese," said Dr Eve Van Cauter, a sleep researcher at the University of Chicago.
She and Dr Esra Tasali, another University of Chicago sleep researcher, tested sleep-deprived individuals and found that getting as little as one hour less sleep than is needed can create a hormonal imbalance. Analysis of the sleep-deprived subjects' blood showed lower levels of the hormone leptin, which tells us we're full, and higher levels of the hormone ghrelin, which tells us we're hungry.
"I think sleep should be included in any intervention for weight loss," said Van Cauter.

Myth No. 4: natural ingredients make shampoos better

Do you think botanicals and natural ingredients are better for your hair than chemicals? If you said yes, you'd be wrong, according to Paula Begoun, who has researched more than 4000 products for her book, Don't Go Shopping for Hair Care Products Without Me.
"All of those cute little plant extracts they throw in, the teeny amounts of apples or chamomile or whatever sexy-sounding herb or plant that grows, that's not what's cleaning your hair," Begoun told 20/20.
"The unsung heroes of the hair care industry are synthetic ingredients," she added. "But it's hard to sell synthetic ingredients as having any sex appeal."
Ingredients like the laureth sulfates are what's actually cleaning your hair, but nobody's touting chemicals on shampoo bottles.

Myth No. 5: moisturisers prevent wrinkles

Skin care fads will come and go, but many of us still hold on to what seems to be the best and most basic way to ward off wrinkles — moisturiser. Facial creams account for a $250 million a year business, but can moisturisers actually prevent wrinkles?
"They can treat fine lines and wrinkles and improve the appearance of skin, but they are not going to prevent wrinkles," said dermatologist Andrea Cambio. And yet some cosmetics companies promote their products as a method for wrinkle prevention.
"It's very misleading, yes … if there was anything else that could prevent wrinkles that was so easily accessible, we would all look 20," said Cambio. She suggests some things you can do to help. For starters, don't smoke. It's terrible for your skin. And do not leave the house without sunscreen, or a moisturiser with an SPF of at least 15.
Finally, don't assume that high price equals high quality. Inexpensive creams are often just as good.

Taken from http://abcnews.go.com/Health/2020/story?id=512095&page=2

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