In the Trending section of Fitness Pudding, I posted a story about a British doctor who supposedly put the classic "tapeworm diet" to the test. Well, I also emailed the story to my Dad, Dr. F.C. Faries, who is a veterinarian, professor, and expert in parasitology with the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense. We had discussed tapeworms over dinner once before, so I looked forward to his response. I thought I would...
A recent video and article by Yahoo! with a "fitness expert" complied the 5 biggest workout myths. Myth #1 – Walking is a great way to lose weight. In other words, this fitness expert, based on her expertise, is saying that walking is NOT a great way to lose weight. However, if she were to look at the research, she may have come to a different conlusion regarding this myth. Let us bust her attempt to...
Watch out Wonder Woman, "ionized" or energy bracelets have gained recent attention, claiming everything from the ability to "energize the whole body" to "relieve the body of pain". Ions are electrically charged molecules, and are thought to optimize the body's natural positive energy or chi. The majority of these bracelets contain a high percentage of copper, which is a metal that holds a positive electrical charge, while being a good conductor of electricity. Claims In typical fallacy fashion,...
I have personally come across a proposed fallacy that being obese actually has a puzzling protective effect in diabetics, call the "obesity paradox". I am not quite sure where this belief has come from, but have heard several women with diabetes mention this to me. Perhaps it is wishful thinking? A recent article by a prestigious group of researchers has provided some solid evidence against the idea of this "obesity paradox" notion. Marilynn Marchione's, AP's chief...
If I had a nickel everytime someone said eating healthy was too expensive, I would have enough money to actually eat healthy. To test this theory, I did my own little experiment with one meal. Based on my own shopping receipts, which is mainly whole vegetables, whole fruits and legumes, I made the following meal comparison table (my lunch one day). Food Serving Price Carb Fat Sat Fat Trans Fat Protein Fiber Calories Grilled Eggplant 1/2...
Right before our eyes, we are seeing the classic "all-or-nothing" mentality, that commonly births fallacies and misguided perceptions about nutrition, claim its newest victim . . . saturated fat. Recent meta-analytic reviews have now suggested that saturated fat consumption has little to no relationship with risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, or stroke, a clear 180 from what many traditionally thought about saturated fat. Does that mean saturated fat is now good for us? My...
There is thought that if we stop exercising, our muscle will turn to fat. Or if we start exercising again, our fat will turn back into muscle. Just as we cannot turn apples into oranges, we cannot turn muscle into fat (or vice versa).
Sweating off fat is 'hot' again. As typical, such fallacies receive ample help from media outlets featuring 'hot' products, such the Zaggora Hot Pants, which claim to target trouble areas, enhance metabolism, and drench your bum in sweat. Other products, such as the traditional sauna suits and body wraps are also taking advantage of the 'what goes around comes around' swing of this fallacy. But, can we really sweat away fat? History Products have long claimed...
I just saw another miscontrued web article on ABC/Yahoo! News titled, "Jennifer Aniston Touts 'Yogalosophy' for Stunning Figure". A celebrity favorite, yoga has claims spread all across the Internet that it can shed pounds, tone and lean out muscles (whatever that means). But, what does the research say about it? Benefits of Yoga Before I get too far, yoga is great for a number of reasons...just not for weight loss. Check out some of the potential...
This one drives me bananas. I have done the research, but am not 100% sure where this fallacy came from. Maybe someone saw a monkey with a big belly eating a banana, and made the connection? I once saw an overweight man eating a salad, and have not touched one since. In all seriousness, there is one theory as to why this fallacy may exist, and understanding it will help you with similar fallacies in other...