Busted: 4 Popular Myths About Your Health

Since our health really is – or at least, it should be – our most precious asset, we're all likely to feel extremely protective when it comes to our own bodies, so much so in fact that to some extent, we all believe in small "superstitions", things we acquired or were taught, various myths about certain aspects that have to do with our lifestyle, food intake and other situations we deal with every day. My mother always used to tell me that eating too much sugar will give me diabetes and was perfectly convinced that drinking as much as a sip of wine while on antibiotics will make the latter useless. It's interesting to have a look at some of these popular myths and see if they have any basis in fact – which is precisely what a team of journalists and experts from the Daily Mail did – with some surprising results.

Myth: Brushing your teeth right after eating sweets will help you avoid decay.
Experts say: Absolutely not true.
Why: Dentists say that whenever we eat sugar, this causes the enamel of the teeth to soften slightly for a short interval. If we brush our teeth immediately after eating sweets, we're actually causing damage to the protective coating of our teeth, thus making everything a million times worse. It's therefore best if we wait for at least an hour before brushing with a fluoride toothpaste.

Myth: Brushing your teeth for a long interval will help them stay clean.
Experts say: Not True.
Why: Brushing is essential for keeping our teeth clean, but too aggressive brushing can cause damage to the enamel coat, actually making it wear off. Lengthy brushing also causes receding gums. Doctors say brush for a maximum of two minutes using circular motions.

Myth: Eating too much sugar will give you diabetes.
Experts say: Not true.
Why: Diabetes is triggered when the pancreas fails to secrete sufficient insulin to control the glucose levels in our blood, which means that too much sugar cannot in itself make us develop diabetes. But there's a catch. The most common form of diabetes is Type 2 diabetes, which does not require regular insulin injections but is quite a serious condition. Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in the developed world and has been linked to rising rates of obesity – which in its turn can be triggered by eating too many sweets and sugary foods. As a result, it's good to stay off the chocolate – however, know that it won't directly make you a diabetic.

Myth: Alcohol will render antibiotics useless.
Experts say: Not true.
Why: There are many drugs out there – antibiotics among them – that will leave you feeling dizzy when mixed with alcohol, or even make you feel drunk faster. Needless to say, alcohol consumption is not indicated at any time, least of all when you're sick. However, there is no scientific proof to support the old argument that drinking will make your pills useless. The one exception mentioned by an expert quoted by the Daily Mail is an antibiotic named Metronidazole (prescribed for various infections) which causes vomiting when mixed with even the smallest amount of alcohol.


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