Evidence, not anecdotes
Is that health claim actually true?
Cranberry for UTIs. Vitamin C for colds. Detox teas. We check everyday medical claims against systematic reviews, trials and clinical guidelines — and show our working.
- Supported
- 4
- Mixed evidence
- 2
- Debunked
- 8
14 claims
Seed oils (linoleic acid) cause heart attacks and heart disease
Higher linoleic acid intake and higher blood linoleic acid levels are consistently linked to lower — not higher — rates of coronary heart disease. The chemistry that seed-oil claims rest on is real; the clinical outcome they predict does not show up in the data.
Ivermectin cures cancer
Ivermectin kills cancer cells in dishes and shows some activity in animals, but no controlled human trial shows it cures or shrinks cancer. The widely shared '84.4% clinical benefit' cohort has no control group and the journal has issued an Expression of Concern about it.
Statins reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke
Lowering LDL cholesterol with statins reduces major vascular events by about a fifth for each 1 mmol/L reduction, across a wide range of baseline risk.
Vaccines cause autism
Studies covering millions of children find no association between vaccination and autism. The original 1998 paper was retracted for fraud.
Detox diets and cleanses remove toxins from the body
No commercial detox regimen has been shown to eliminate any named toxin. The liver and kidneys already do this job.
Antibiotics help you recover faster from a cold or flu
Colds and flu are viral. Antibiotics do nothing to them, and they carry real risks of side effects and resistance.
Cranberry products help prevent urinary tract infections
Cranberry products modestly reduce the risk of recurrent UTIs in some groups — mainly women with recurrent infections and children — but they do not treat an active infection.
Sugar makes children hyperactive
Double-blind trials find no effect of sugar on children's behaviour. Parental expectation explains most of the reported effect.
Everyone needs eight glasses of water a day
Hydration matters, but the specific 8×8 rule has no clear evidential origin. Needs vary with body size, climate and activity, and food contributes a fifth of intake.
Handwashing reduces the spread of respiratory infections
Regular hand hygiene meaningfully lowers the risk of acute respiratory infection.
Taking vitamin C prevents the common cold
Regular vitamin C does not prevent colds in the general population. It shortens episodes by roughly 8% in adults — a matter of hours, not days.
Exercise reduces symptoms of depression
Structured physical activity produces clinically meaningful reductions in depressive symptoms, comparable to some first-line treatments in mild to moderate depression.
Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis
Studies comparing habitual knuckle crackers with non-crackers find no difference in rates of hand osteoarthritis.
Honey relieves nighttime cough in children
Honey performs better than no treatment or placebo for cough symptoms in children over one year old, and about as well as common over-the-counter options.