We largely accept several longstanding myths about our health, nutrition, fitness, and more. Understanding the truth can be important for helping us live our healthiest lives.
Have you ever found yourself questioning whether that bit of health advice you’ve grown up believing is actually true? You may be surprised at what’s myth and what’s fact.
Health myths usually don’t have bad intentions. They may have developed when we didn’t know as much about how the human body works, and these were the best approaches at the time. But we may cling to some of them even when science has shown us a better path forward...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE .
So, let’s do some myth busting and cover ten of the most persistent health myths still in circulation.
Is It True You Should Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day?
The old (drink an 8-ounce glass of water 8 times a day) can be a convenient way to meet your hydration needs. That works out to about half a gallon (2 liters) daily. But there’s no scientific basis for that amount.
The truth is that hydration needs vary from person to person. How much water you need depends on several factors, including your age, weight, sex, and the air temperature.
Experts estimate that, on average, males ages 19 to 30 need about 3.7 liters per day, while females of the same age need 2.7 liters per day. But remember, some of that water comes from the food you eat.
Does Going Out In The Cold Actually Make You Sick?
Colds and flus are more common in the winter, but the cold isn’t what causes illness. It’s germs that make you sick.
Viruses like influenza, SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19), and rhinoviruses (which cause colds) are more resilient in cold, dry weather. Cold weather also weakens our immune system. Combined with human behaviors, like spending more time in crowded indoor spaces during cold and wet weather, this means viruses have more opportunity to spread.
But no, you won’t catch a cold just because you go outside in the cold. Stay healthy in winter by maintaining good hygiene practices, like proper handwashing.
Is Breakfast Really The Most Important Meal Of The Day?
This is a tricky one! Research shows that people who regularly eat breakfast tend to have higher overall diet quality. A 2025 study links skipping breakfast with reduced heart, metabolic, bone, and brain health.
But is it the most important meal? That’s difficult to answer. These links do not necessarily mean that eating breakfast itself causes overall better health outcomes. What matters more seems to be overall quality and nutritional aspect of your food intake throughout the day.
According to a 2024 study, eating and skipping breakfast are both acceptable. It comes down to personal preference and planning. What matters most may be what you eat for breakfast.
Do You Need 10,000 Steps a Day to Stay Healthy?
Making 10,000 steps a day is a popular goal, but is it scientific? While it might be a good goal for regularly active people, it’s not tied to any specific health outcomes.
Recent research links around 7,000 steps per day to reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, dementia, and depression. A 2019 study involving older women found that benefits started to level off around 7,500 steps.
Does Cracking Your Knuckles Lead to Arthritis?
We’ve long known there’s no link between knuckle-cracking and developing arthritis, but the myth persists. Arthritis is due to the wear and tear of cartilage in your joints over time, usually due to aging or an autoimmune condition.
Cracking your knuckles doesn’t affect the joint cartilage in your fingers. The sound you hear is from gas bubbles in the joint fluid popping. A 2017 study also showed that regular knuckle-cracking did not negatively affect function.
Does The Flu Shot Give You The Flu?
There are several types of vaccines which work in different ways. People often think only of live vaccines, which were the first vaccines developed. But most vaccines today are not live vaccines.
The flu shot delivers an inactivated form of the influenza virus, so it Source give you the flu. If you experience flu-like symptoms after getting the shot, that’s your immune system responding to the vaccine and building up the antibodies you need to protect you. It’s also possible you were exposed to the virus before immunity from the shot could develop.
The flu vaccine is safe for most people and can reduce your risk of seeing a doctor for the flu by as much as 60%. The most common side effect is soreness at the injection site.
Can Reading In Low Light Ruin Your Eyesight?
As a child, your parents may have told you not to read in low light because it could damage your eyes. (Maybe they just wanted you to put down the book and go to sleep.) Turns out, there’s not much truth to that assertion.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists notes that low-light reading may contribute to temporary eyestrain but will not cause any permanent damage. The primary cause of long-term eye problems is age.
You may find it easier to use a backlit digital reader at night, but that can still cause digital eyestrain and may affect your sleep.
Do You Need to Wait 30 Minutes after Eating Before Swimming?
This old belief may stem from a 1908 scouting guide warning that swimming soon after eating could cause you to drown due to cramping muscles.
“FIRST, THERE IS THE DANGER OF CRAMP. IF YOU BATHE WITHIN AN HOUR AND A HALF AFTER TAKING A MEAL, THAT IS, BEFORE YOUR FOOD IS DIGESTED, YOU ARE VERY LIKELY TO GET CRAMP. CRAMP DOUBLES YOU UP IN EXTREME PAIN SO THAT YOU CANNOT MOVE YOUR ARMS OR LEGS—AND DOWN YOU GO. YOU MAY DROWN—AND IT WILL BE YOUR OWN FAULT.”
— SCOUTING FOR BOYS (1908)
Yikes! Not to mention, inaccurate. The American Red Cross confirms that swimming within an hour of eating does not increase the risk of drowning. And that holds whether you’re an adult or child, or casual or competitive swimmer.
Beer Before Liquor, Never Been Sicker?
This is one of the better-known examples of the rhyme-as-reason effect, when we unconsciously believe something more because it rhymes. Sadly, for those who want to reduce their hangover risk, the rhyme doesn’t make it true.
The myth might persist because people often tend to drink beer early on before moving to harder drinks like shots. They may attribute the next morning’s hangover to their most recent drinks, but it’s the volume, not the order, that causes the damage. For example, a 2019 study found that “beer before wine” does not mean “you’re fine”.
The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism confirms that the order of drinks does not matter when it comes to a hangover. The more you drink, the worse the hangover is going to be, regardless of what you consumed first.
Is It True You Can’t Get Pregnant On Your Period?
It’s true that you’re less likely to get pregnant while on your period, but the chances are not zero.
The first day of a period marks the beginning of the menstrual cycle. Peak fertility occurs at ovulation, which usually occurs in the middle of a cycle. But it could happen as soon as 7 days into your cycle, which could be as little as 2 to 3 days after a period. This can be more common for females with a short cycle.
Sperm can live in the female reproductive tract for up to 5 days. So, while the chances of pregnancy are close to zero during the first two days of your period, they increase with each successive day. If you want to reduce the chances of pregnancy, your best bet every time is some form of contraception.
The Bottom Line
Health myths persist because we tend to favor simple solutions over complex science. But a small dose of curiosity can be enough to shed new light on old beliefs you’ve held for years.
Don’t always take health advice at face value. It can help to do some digging and discover the truth. But that doesn’t mean latching on to one source that confirms what you want to believe. Look for the expert consensus.
