6 Times Health Headlines Got A Little Too Carried Away In 2014 -1GOT NEWS
Proof that you really shouldn’t believe everything you read.
The BMJ just published a study that finds that hype in health news headlines is heavily associated with exaggerated press releases.
For some prime examples of this hype, here are six health headlines from 2014 that really needed to calm down and take a step back.
The headline: Your Butt Is A Hero: Scientists Say Smelling Farts Might Cure Cancer
The truth: No, of course farts don't cure cancer. Come on. The study actually shows that researchers created a molecule, called AP39, that was able to deliver hydrogen sulfide to mitochondria in a lab environment. The hydrogen sulfide had a protective effect on the mitochondria, basically keeping them stronger for longer.
Better headline: Researchers Created A New Molecule That Delivers Hydrogen Sulfide to Mitochondria, Protecting Their Integrity
vh1.tumblr.com / Via youtube.com
The headline: OMFG: Science Says A Glass Of Red Wine Might Be Equivalent To An Hour At The Gym
The truth: No, red wine can not replace exercise. I'm so sorry!
There are a ton of studies about the benefits of resveratrol, but the study that all the health headlines were referring to doesn't even say that red wine replaces exercise — it says that red wine may — may! — be a good addition to exercise. So you actually would still need to work out. And even with that said... the study itself was actually done on rats, and it used resveratrol, which is a compound found in red wine. The bottom line is that it's way too big of a leap to go from "resveratrol has promising effects in lab rats that are also exercising," to "guzzle red wine, get stronger muscles and a healthier heart."
Better headline: Supplementing Exercise With Dietary Resveratrol Improves Workout Endurance in Lab Rats
ABC / Via Emily Orley / buzzfeed.com
The headline: 'Men Are Idiots', New Study Says
The truth: This analysis looked at Darwin Award winners from the past 20 years, and determined that 88.7% of them were men. Previous studies have shown that men engage in generally riskier behavior than women do. But these facts don't definitively prove that men are "idiots."
(The Darwin Awards, FYI, is a joke "honor" awarded every year to people who self-select out of the gene pool by dying or getting sterilized as a result of foolish behavior.)
Yes, the "men are idiots" conclusion is obviously a joke, but it's also offensive (and offensively lazy). Winning the Darwin Awards isn't the only way to measure stupidity, and is very likely not the best way. Along the same lines, while men may in fact be more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors that can cause them bodily harm, risk-taking behavior in general isn't the only (or best) way to measure stupidity, either.
Better headlines:
Darwin Award Winners Are Overwhelmingly Male
and
Men Are More Likely Than Women To Die From Making Foolish and Risky Choices, Or At Least They're More Likely To Get Media Attention For It
Motion Picture Corporation of America / Via gifbay.com
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