Myth or fact: Killer poinsettas? Candy-cane crazes? Answers

Hold the candy canes! Sugar is to blame for hyperactive kids.

1) Myth: According to a report written by Rachel Vreeman and Aaron Carroll at the Indiana University School of Medicine, sugar is not to blame for out of control little ones. At least 12 double blind randomized controlled trials have examined how children react to diets containing different levels of sugar. None of these studies, not even studies looking specifically at children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, could detect any differences in behaviour between the children who had sugar and those who did not.

If it's cold, wear a hat. You lose the majority of your body heat through your head.

2) Myth: This myth probably originated with an old military study in which scientists put subjects in arctic survival suits (but no hats) and measured their heat loss in extremely cold temperatures. Because it was the only part of the subjects’ bodies that was exposed to the cold, they lost the most heat through their heads. A more recent study confirms that there is nothing special about the head and heat loss. Any uncovered part of the body loses heat and will reduce the core body temperature proportionally.

Pace yourself: there's no cure for a hangover.

3) Fact: Well you can certainly try, everybody has their own coping mechanisms, but there is no scientific evidence to support any cure or effective prevention for alcohol hangovers. A hangover is caused by excess alcohol consumption. Thus, the most effective way to avoid a hangover is to consume alcohol only in moderation or not at all.

Extra weight after eight: eating at night packs on the pounds.

4) Myth: In a study of 83 obese and 94 non-obese women in Sweden, the obese women reported eating more meals, and their meals were shifted to the afternoon, evening, or night. But just because obesity and eating more meals at night are associated, it does not mean that one causes the other. People gain weight because they take in more calories overall than they burn up. The obese women were not just night eaters, they were also eating more meals, and taking in more calories makes you gain weight regardless of when calories are consumed.

Careful! Those poinsettias can kill you.

5) Myth: We've all heard the warnings about the pretty plants, but in an analysis of plant exposures reported to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, none of the cases involving poinsettia resulted in considerable poisoning. No one died from exposure to or ingestion of poinsettia, and most (96%) did not even require medical treatment. In 92 of the cases, children ingested substantial quantities of poinsettias, but none needed medical treatment, and toxicologists concluded that poinsettia exposures and ingestions can be treated without referral to a healthcare facility.

Sadly, suicides increase during the holiday season.

6) Myth: While the holidays might, indeed, be a difficult time for some, there is no good scientific evidence to suggest a holiday peak in suicides. In a study from the United States of suicides over a 35 year period, there was no increase before, during, or after holidays. Indeed, people might actually experience increased emotional and social support during holidays. In the US, rates of psychiatric visits decrease before Christmas and increase again afterwards. Of course, none of this evidence suggests that suicides do not happen over the holidays. The epidemiological evidence just does not support that the holidays are a time of increased risk.

For more info: Does sugar make children hyperactive? Festive myths explored