Questionable nutritional advice is easily amplified in our digital world, but older generations have always passed down health adages that younger generations found difficult to believe. Did your parents ever encourage you to drink fish oil to boost brain power before an exam, or offer mustard when you had a muscle cramp? My folks believed ginger relieves nausea. I was curious whether these adages and folk remedies could withstand the scrutiny of science – or whether they’re bunkum. So I set out to research a few of them.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
This well-known statement is based on an 1860s Welsh proverb that eating apples will diminish doctor visits. And it has actually been put to the test – in a 2015 April Fool’s Day issue of JAMA Internal Medicine (while the topics were zany, the studies were real).
Researchers investigated whether people who reported eating apples daily actually had fewer annual doctor visits or were in better overall health. Of the 8,399 study participants, 753 ate at least one small apple daily. The results showed that 39 per cent of apple eaters avoided physician visits compared to 34 per cent of non-apple eaters, which was not a statistically significant difference. Researchers did find that apple eaters were a bit less likely to require prescription medications compared to non-apple eaters, leading the researcher to joke that “an apple a day keeps the pharmacist away”.
1/20 Jackdaws can identify ‘dangerous’ humans
Jackdaws can identify “dangerous” humans from listening to each other’s warning calls, scientists say.
The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter.
In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or “contact calls” (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average.
Getty
2/20 Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking
The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females.
But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the “Goldilocks Zone” which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal
Ye et al/Current Biology
3/20 Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa
African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found.
It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017.
Reuters
4/20 Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru
Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planet’s oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago
A. Gennari
5/20 Animal with transient anus discovered
A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a “transient anus” that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste
Steven G Johnson
6/20 Giant bee spotted
Feared extinct, the Wallace’s Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands
Clay Bolt
7/20 New mammal species found inside crocodile
Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal
New Mexico Museum of Natural History
8/20 Fabric that changes according to temperature created
Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold
Faye Levine, University of Maryland
9/20 Baby mice tears could be used in pest control
A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males
Getty
10/20 Final warning to limit “climate catastrophe”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase
Getty
11/20 Nobel prize for evolution chemists
The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies
Getty/AFP
12/20 Nobel prize for laser physicists
The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his “optical tweezers” which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers
Reuters/AP
13/20 Discovery of a new species of dinosaur
The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means “a giant thunderclap at dawn”
Viktor Radermacher / SWNS
14/20 Birth of a planet
Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever.
This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star.
ESO/A. Müller et al
15/20 New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists
Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the “interstitium”.
These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins
Getty
16/20 Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists
Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest.
These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs
José Iriarte
17/20 One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds
More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test.
Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly.
Getty
18/20 Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter’s great red spot
The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image’s colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth.
Pictures by: Tom Momary
19/20 A 3D reconstruction of an African grey parrot post euthanasia
Included in Wellcome Image Awards, this 3D image of an African grey parrot shows the highly intricate system of blood vessels.
Scott Birch. Wellcome Images
20/20 Baby Hawaiian bobtail squid
Another Wellcome Images Award winner, this time of baby Hawaiian bobtail squid. The black ink sac and light organ in the centre of the squid’s mantle cavity can be clearly seen.
Macroscopic Solutions. Wellcome Images
1/20 Jackdaws can identify ‘dangerous’ humans
Jackdaws can identify “dangerous” humans from listening to each other’s warning calls, scientists say.
The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter.
In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or “contact calls” (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average.
Getty
2/20 Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking
The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females.
But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the “Goldilocks Zone” which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal
Ye et al/Current Biology
3/20 Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa
African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found.
It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017.
Reuters
4/20 Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru
Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planet’s oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago
A. Gennari
5/20 Animal with transient anus discovered
A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a “transient anus” that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste
Steven G Johnson
6/20 Giant bee spotted
Feared extinct, the Wallace’s Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands
Clay Bolt
7/20 New mammal species found inside crocodile
Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal
New Mexico Museum of Natural History
8/20 Fabric that changes according to temperature created
Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold
Faye Levine, University of Maryland
9/20 Baby mice tears could be used in pest control
A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males
Getty
10/20 Final warning to limit “climate catastrophe”
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase
Getty
11/20 Nobel prize for evolution chemists
The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies
Getty/AFP
12/20 Nobel prize for laser physicists
The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his “optical tweezers” which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gérard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers
Reuters/AP
13/20 Discovery of a new species of dinosaur
The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means “a giant thunderclap at dawn”
Viktor Radermacher / SWNS
14/20 Birth of a planet
Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever.
This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star.
ESO/A. Müller et al
15/20 New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists
Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the “interstitium”.
These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins
Getty
16/20 Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists
Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest.
These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs
José Iriarte
17/20 One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds
More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test.
Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly.
Getty
18/20 Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter’s great red spot
The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image’s colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth.
Pictures by: Tom Momary
19/20 A 3D reconstruction of an African grey parrot post euthanasia
Included in Wellcome Image Awards, this 3D image of an African grey parrot shows the highly intricate system of blood vessels.
Scott Birch. Wellcome Images
20/20 Baby Hawaiian bobtail squid
Another Wellcome Images Award winner, this time of baby Hawaiian bobtail squid. The black ink sac and light organ in the centre of the squid’s mantle cavity can be clearly seen.
Macroscopic Solutions. Wellcome Images
Of course, the doctor proverb shouldn’t be taken literally, but the overall sentiment is true: eating vegetables and fruits daily does have health benefits. That’s because the combination of fibre, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients may help reduce inflammation and combat cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer.
Carrots are good for your eyes
This narrative traces back to the Second World War. In 1940, British royal air force pilots began using radar to shoot down enemy planes in the dark. To keep this new technology a secret, the Ministry of Information’s propaganda was that the pilots had great visual accuracy because they ate carrots, which improved their night vision.
It seemed plausible, too, because carrots are rich in the antioxidant beta carotene, the precursor to vitamin A. Once absorbed by the body, vitamin A helps make rhodopsin, a pigment that helps eyes work better in low light. Carrots can help if you have vitamin A deficiency that causes poor night vision, but of course they can’t really help you (or air force pilots) see in complete darkness. So, yes, carrots are good for eyesight, but other foods rich in beta carotene, such as sweet potatoes, squash and leafy green vegetables, have the same benefits.
Turkey makes you tired
We’ve all heard this one after Christmas dinner: “The turkey made you fall asleep!” Turkey contains an amino acid (a building block of protein) known as tryptophan, which the body uses to generate serotonin, which helps promote sleep. So then there must be something to this whole turkey-sleep connection, right?
Not so fast. Turkey contains no more tryptophan than beef, eggs, fish or chicken, and tryptophan has a hard time getting past the blood-brain barrier, so it’s not an effective sleep inducer on its own. But the effect of tryptophan increases when insulin levels are high, as happens after you eat a carb-rich meal – such as a Christmas dinner with stuffing and potatoes. So it’s actually carbs that increase serotonin levels and help with the production of the hormone melatonin, which makes you sleepy. Eating a large meal can have a similar effect because there’s increased blood flow to the stomach for digestion, and decreased blood flow to the brain. So it’s definitely not just turkey that makes you sleepy.
Ginger relieves nausea
This remedy has strong roots. More than 5,000 years ago, people from India and China used ginger as a tonic to treat many ailments. The most common and well-established historical use is to alleviate nausea and vomiting. Today, many clinical studies support the use of ginger for exactly this purpose.
Research shows that ginger helps relieve nausea and vomiting caused by motion sickness, morning sickness in pregnancy, during chemotherapy treatments and post-surgically after anaesthetic. It’s thought that the constituents in ginger – including gingerols and shogaols – help speed gastric emptying, which relieves nausea. Some people sip ginger tea for relief, while others prefer to take a ginger capsule, and studies show that both options can work. My mum used to open a can of ginger ale when I was queasy. While she was on the right track, it turns out many soda brands use artificial flavouring rather than real ginger, so those are of little benefit.
Fish is good for your brain
In his 1930 short-story collection Very Good, Jeeves, British author and humorist PG Wodehouse wrote: “They say fish are good for the brain. Have a go at the sardines and come back and report.” Wodehouse was onto something!
In 2016, researchers found that weekly consumption of fish was associated with high volume of grey matter, the dark tissue of the brain that’s in charge of processing information and controlling vision and memory. Many people have postulated that the value of fish comes largely from omega-3 fats, which play many important roles in brain health. Yet, interestingly, this study showed that any fish – not just those high in omega-3 fat – had this positive effect. Another review study found that fish intake may help delay cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease, but cast doubt as to whether the omega-3 fats are the reason. That means taking omega-3 fish oil supplements (or drinking cod liver oil) for brain health may not cut it – there’s something about eating a whole fish fillet that’s more beneficial.
Mustard helps with leg cramps
Have you ever been jolted from sleep with a leg cramp, or felt your calf seize after a run? Maybe you were told to take a shot of pickle juice or a teaspoon of yellow mustard. For years, people assumed this worked because the pickles and mustard contain fluids and sodium, which may help ease leg cramps caused by dehydration or an electrolyte imbalance. But research doesn’t confirm this reasoning.
In one study, researchers induced leg cramps in male subjects, then gave them pickle juice or water. Pickle juice made the cramps go away faster but the effect was not due to restoring body fluids, or the water would have worked just as well. Plus, the researchers found no changes in plasma electrolytes or volume in the five minutes after ingesting the pickle juice. They concluded that the benefit from pickle juice could not be explained by rapid restoration of body fluids or electrolytes.
Now researchers believe the problem is not actually with the muscle itself but with the motor neurons that send signals to it, which become hyperactive. The researchers hypothesise that strong flavours (as in mustard or pickle juice) stimulate neurons in the mouth and upper GI tract, which in turn restores the normal activity of the motor neurons involved in muscle cramping – sort of like a distraction. There are no rigorous studies to prove this interesting theory, so drinking pickle juice remains mostly unsubstantiated. But if it works for you, drink up.
© Washington Post
