There is a lot of incompetence in the area of nutrition and health.
Even health professionals seem to constantly contradict each other.
Here are 8 ridiculous nutrition myths, thoroughly debunked.
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It is a common myth that all that matters for weight loss is calories in, calories out.
Of course, calories matter. But the types of foods we eat are also important.
Here are 3 examples of how “a calorie is NOT a calorie.”
Fructose vs. Glucose: Fructose is more likely to stimulate hunger, increase abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, compared to the same amount of calories from glucose (1, 2, 3).
Protein: Eating protein can raise the metabolic rate and reduce hunger compared to fat and carbs (4).
Medium vs. long-chain fatty acids: Fatty acids that are of medium length (such as from coconut oil) raise metabolism and reduce hunger compared to longer chain fatty acids (5, 6, 7).
Bottom Line: A calorie is not a calorie. Different foods affect our bodies, hunger and hormones in different ways.
2. Eating a Lot of Protein is Bad For You
Some people think that a high-protein diet will harm your kidneys and cause osteoporosis.
It is true that eating protein can make you excrete more calcium in the short term (8).
However, long-term studies show that protein intake is associated with improved bone health and a lower risk of fractures, not the other way around (9, 10, 11).
Studies don’t find any association with kidney disease either (12, 13).
The two most important risk factors for kidney failure are diabetes and high blood pressure. Eating adequate protein helps with both, which should reduce your risk of kidney disease later in life (14, 15, 16, 17).
Unless you have a medical condition, there’s no reason to be afraid of having more protein in your diet. It’s a good thing.
Bottom Line: Eating a high protein diet may be protective against bone fractures and reduce the two most important risk factors for kidney failure.
3. Saturated Fat Raises The Bad Cholesterol and Gives You Heart Disease
The myth that saturated fat raises cholesterol and causes heart disease is still alive today.
This ideas was based on some flawed observational studies conducted in the 60s and 70s.
Since then, many studies have re-examined this relationship and discovered that:
There is literally no association between saturated fat consumption and cardiovascular disease (24, 25, 26).
Saturated fat raises HDL (the good) cholesterol and changes the LDL from small, dense (bad) to Large LDL, which is benign (27, 28, 29).
There is no reason to avoid natural foods that are rich in saturated fats. Meat, coconut oil and butter are perfectly healthy foods.
Bottom Line: Despite decades of anti-fat propaganda, saturated fat has never been proven to cause heart disease. New studies prove that there is literally no association.
4. Coffee is Bad For You
Coffee has gotten a bad reputation in the past.
It is true that caffeine, the active stimulant compound in coffee, can slightly raise blood pressure in the short term (30).
Despite these mild adverse effects, long term observational studies actually show that coffee lowers the risk of many diseases.
Coffee can:
Improve brain function (31).
Help you burn more fat (32, 33, 34).
Lower your risk of diabetes… in some studies as much as 67% (35, 36).
Lower your risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s (37, 38).
Protect your liver against cirrhosis and cancer (39, 40).
Coffee is also loaded with antioxidants. It is actually the biggest source of antioxidants in the western diet and outranks both fruits and vegetables, combined (41, 42, 43).
Bottom Line: Despite coffee being able to mildly elevate blood pressure, observational studies show a strong and consistent reduction in many serious diseases like Alzheimer’s and type II diabetes.
5. Eggs Are Rich in Cholesterol And Can Give You Heart Disease
Eggs have been unfairly demonized because they contain large amounts of cholesterol.
However, dietary cholesterol doesn’t necessarily raise blood cholesterol and eggs have never been proven to cause harm.
If anything, eggs are among the most nutritious and healthiest foods you can eat.
They’re loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Studies show that egg consumption actually improves the blood lipid profile. They raise the HDL (good) cholesterol and change the LDL from small, dense to Large, which is benign (44, 45).
Observational studies show no association between egg consumption and risk of heart disease (46, 47, 48).
Additionally, some studies show that eggs for breakfast can help you lose weight… at least compared to a breakfast of bagels (49, 50).
Bottom Line: Eggs are one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods you can eat and there is no association between egg consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease.
[Source : http://authoritynutrition.com]
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