24 Nutrition Myths That Need to Die in 2024
Reviewed By Danielle Glesne, RDN, LD, CDCESIf you're confused by all the conflicting nutrition claims swirling around social media and conversations these days, you're not alone.
It can be hard to know what’s true, what’s not, and what requires a bit of nuance to decide.
So here are 24 nutrition myths that need to die, along with a short rationale from research and biology about the reality of the claims…
Myth #1: Carbs cause weight gain
Reality: Only a positive energy balance, where an individual consumes more calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight gain. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #2: Sugar causes weight gain
Reality: Only a positive energy balance, where an individual consumes more calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight gain. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #3: Certain foods cause weight gain
Reality: Only a positive energy balance, where an individual consumes more calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight gain. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #4: Certain foods cause weight loss
Reality: Only a negative energy balance, where an individual consumes fewer calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight loss. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #5: Keto causes weight loss
Reality: Only a negative energy balance, where an individual consumes fewer calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight loss. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #6: Intermittent fasting causes weight loss
Reality: Only a negative energy balance, where an individual consumes fewer calories than they expend on average, over time, causes weight loss. (PMID: 22434603)
Myth #7: Seed oils are toxic
Reality: The research on seed oils is overwhelming, especially when looking at exchanging poly unsaturated fats (PUFAs) for saturated and trans fats…
Neutral or positive effect on heart disease. (PMIDs: 28526025; 20351774)
Neutral or positive effect on inflammation. (PMIDs: 15774905)
Neutral or positive effect on insulin sensitivity. (PMIDs: 27434027; 26615402)
Decrease in visceral fat levels. (PMID: 24550191)
Improved HbA1c, fasted glucose, C-peptide, and HOMA-IR. (PMID: 27434027)
No effect on cancer incidence. (PMID: 32114592)
Slight decrease in risk of cancer mortality. (PMID: 32723506)
Even demonized linoleic acid does not increase cancer risk. (PMID: 9665108)
Myth #8: Artificial sweeteners are toxic
Reality: There is no human evidence showing normal consumption has any toxic/genotoxic effects. As is the case with many things, the dose makes the poison—which is usually the case in rodent studies.
Myth #9: GMOs are bad for you
Reality: Genetically modified organisms are not inherently bad for you. In fact, some GMOs are healthier than the animal or plant food prior to modification.
Myth #10: Gluten is inflammatory
Reality: For people without celiac disease or gluten intolerance, gluten is not inherently inflammatory. (PMIDs: 34516338; 33775898)
Myth #11: Dairy is inflammatory
Reality: For people without dairy allergy or lactose intolerance, dairy can actually reduce inflammatory cytokines. (PMIDs: 32409275; 31089732; 26287637)
Myth #12: Eggs are unhealthy
Reality: There is not a direct correlation between dietary cholesterol intake and blood cholesterol. However, if dietary cholesterol is consumed in combination with saturated and trans fats, as often happens in Western diet, increases in blood cholesterol can be observed. (PMID: 35631308)
Myth #13: Vegetables are unhealthy
Reality: Yes, this is an actual claim these days, with people claiming plants have defense chemicals that make them harmful for human consumption. But research is abundantly clear: as vegetable intake go up, health outcomes improve. (PMIDs: 28338764; 33641343; 25073782; 35028521; etc.)
Myth #14: Meat is unhealthy
Reality: Meat is incredibly nutrient-dense food. But research has shown that as meat consumption increases, cancer risk goes up, and when fruit and vegatable consumption increases, cancer risk decreases.
So what gives?
There’s a third stream of research that has shown when meat AND fruit and vegetable intake goes up, cancer risk goes down.
Even when consuming red meat and processed meat, research has concluded co-consuming just ~20g of fiber per day from fruits, veggies, and whole grains along with red meat negates the risk of cancer from red meat consumption. (PMID: 32751091)
So the risk is less about the inclusion of meat and more about the exclusion of nutrients like dietary fiber.
Myth #15: Salt is unhealthy
Reality: Salt/sodium is an electrolyte, and an essential nutrient necessary for maintenance of plasma volume, acid-base balance, transmission of nerve impulses, and normal cell function.
TOO much sodium, is unhealthy, yes. The average American consumes about 3,400 mg of sodium per day, while the recommended daily allowance is 2,300mg.
But sodium in and of itself is not unhealthy.
Myth #16: Himalayan salt is healthier than table salt
Reality: Research has not shown that Himalayan salt has any unique health benefits compared to other dietary salt. The mineral impurities that give it a pink color, often promoted as healthful, are far too low in concentration to help with your nutrition.
Myth #17: Your gut needs a cleanse
Reality: There is no food or product you can consume that will cause your body will cause it to “cleanse” in a way it doesn’t already on its own.
Myth #18: Detox products detox your body
Reality: Similar to the myth of a cleanse, here’s no such thing as a food or product that detoxes the body. The human body is already equipped with detoxification mechanisms it needs, including kidneys, intestines, lungs, lymphatic system, and even skin.
Myth #19: Your body can only absorb ~30g of protein per meal
Reality: The body absorbs all the protein it consumes, though it may not utilize it all. How much protein the body can utilize depends on many individual factors, and recently it was shown that “the anabolic response to protein ingestion during recovery from exercise has no upper limit.” (PMID: 38118410)
Myth #20: Protein causes kidney damage
Reality: Unless you have kidney disease, changes in kidney function do not differ between healthy adults consuming high-protein diet vs lower- or normal-protein diets. (PMID: 30383278)
Myth #21: Avoiding animal products increases lifespan
Reality: There are five “Blue Zones” where people around the world live the longest (PMID: 30202288), and all of those people groups and cultures consume animal products to varying degrees.
Ikaria, Greece
Okinawa, Japan
Ogliastra Region, Sardinia
Loma Linda, California
Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
Myth #22: A vegan diet is inherently more healthy than omnivorous eating
Reality: People living in all five “Blue Zones” consume animal products to varying degrees. (PMID: 30202288)
Myth #23: A carnivore diet is inherently more healthy than omnivorous eating
Reality: People living in all five “Blue Zones” consume ample amounts of plants. (PMID: 30202288)
Myth #24: Documentaries are a good source of nutrition information
Reality: Nutrition documentaries works of entertainment and biased at best. At worst, they’re misleading works of near-fiction designed to lead viewers to reach the predetermined conclusion of the creators.
Questions?
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