Medical myths debunked

Do you believe eating at night makes you fat? Or that you lose most of your body heat through your head? Guess who believed them too? Your doctor.

Dr. Rachel Vreeman, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine, knew about the enduring legacy of these old wives’ tales, so she and a colleague set out to debunk the more popular medical myths. Her findings were published in the British Medical Journal.

On "The Takeaway," Dr. Vreeman tackles myths like:

Losing body heat through your head: "You are losing some heat through your head, but you’re not losing any more than you would lose from any part of your body that was uncovered … there’s nothing special about the head — if you left your arm uncovered, or part of your leg uncovered, you’d lose just as much heat through that."

Sugar making kids hyperactive: "As a pediatrician … I hear this all the time, but it’s just not true. The Studies just all say that sugar doesn’t make kids hyperactive."

Turkey makes us sleepy: "The thing that’s to blame in turkey is tryptophan … but the key is it doesn’t contain more than other types of meat."

Poisonous poinsettias: "There were almost 23,000 cases in which people had ingested poinsettias, and yet there was no sign of real toxicity — certainly no one died."

More medical myths debunked by Dr. Vreeman.

"The Takeaway" is PRI’s new national morning news program, delivering the news and analysis you need to catch up, start your day, and prepare for what’s ahead. The show is a co-production of WNYC and PRI, in editorial collaboration with the BBC, The New York Times Radio, and WGBH.

More at thetakeaway.org