Researchers Debunk Widely Believed Holiday Myths

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Or are those just myths?
With the year's end arriving, the British Medical Journal asked two physicians take a look at some of those old adages that everyone repeats each holiday season. Looking at six of these, the doctors found that some might have reasons behind them, but found no solid backing after a large number of studies.


"We're trying to just show that it's important for us to examine commonly held beliefs," said Dr. Aaron E. Carroll, director of the Center for Health Policy and Professionalism Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. "There's good science to show that these beliefs are incorrect, that they're myths, and yet many people still believe them."
This was the second straight year that Carroll and his colleague, Dr. Rachel C. Vreeman, took a look at some holiday myths for the journal.
While stressing that most of the myths are not harmful, Carroll said they may cause people to change their behavior unnecessarily.
"Some of it's not a good idea, and some of it is perfectly good to question," he said.
Here are the six myths they looked at, which they and other doctors hope to dispell:

Sugar Makes Kids Hyperactive

Carroll and Vreeman noted in their article that 12 separate trials failed to show any difference in children's behavior after consuming sugar, even those with ADHD and other conditions considered "sensitive" to sugar