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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- This holiday season, many will decorate their homes with poinsettias and overindulge in cookies, but are traditions like these harmful to your health?
It is widely believed that sugar leaves kids bouncing off the walls. Experts say, however, this is a myth, disclaimed by at least 12 studies. "None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behavior between the children who had sugar and those who did not," Aaron Carroll, M.D., M.S., and Rachel Vreeman, M.D., M.S., of the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, explained.
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Another widespread myth is that poinsettias are toxic. In the largest study to date analyzing the bright red plant's toxicity, no significant poisoning was found from exposure. In another study, rats ingested the human equivalent of up to 600 poinsettia leaves or a pound-and-a-half of the plant's sap, yet no toxicity was found in their bodies. Experts do caution, however, that any time someone eats a plant not intended for consumption, a poison control center should be called.
Do you think just by wearing that winter hat you'll keep your whole body warm? Think again. Contrary to popular belief, most of your body heat is not lost through your head. "Any uncovered part of the body loses heat and will drop the core body temperature proportionally," the IU researchers said.
Will that late night trip to the fridge to snack on holiday leftovers make you gain weight? Not necessarily, say the experts. The time a person eats is irrelevant to whether they gain weight. People gain weight from consuming too many calories, regardless of when they're consumed.
The holidays can bring out the best in people and the worst. The cold, dark winter months are often thought to increase the number of suicides, but researchers say there's no evidence of this myth. They emphasize, however, that suicidal thoughts should always be taken seriously.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal, December 2008
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