Everyday health

Forwards about food, cancer, skin creams and joints.

• Claim 05 · Cancer

  Cancer feeds on sugar; cutting sugar starves tumours

  Exaggerated

  You cannot starve a tumour by cutting sugar; the real link runs through body fat.

• Claim 07 · Food

  Microwaving destroys nutrients and makes food cancerous

  Unsupported

  Non-ionising energy cannot make food radioactive or cancerous; quick cooking usually keeps more vitamins than boiling.

• Claim 10 · Joints

  Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis

  Unsupported

  Every study that has looked finds no link between knuckle cracking and arthritis.

• Claim 27 · Cancer

  A kitchen remedy cures cancer; no need for chemotherapy

  Dangerous

  No kitchen remedy has been shown to cure cancer, and refusing treatment for one raises the risk of death.

• Claim 30 · Skin

  Steroid or mercury creams are a safe way to lighten skin

  Dangerous

  Skin tone is set mainly by genes. Steroid creams can damage facial skin; mercury harms the kidneys and nerves.

Every verdict is held against four tiers of evidence. How this site works.