It can be easy to get caught up in all the media reports of new scientific studies and health scares. While you should always speak to your doctor about any health and dietary concerns you have, some recent health scares have been widely overblown. Let’s take a look at a couple of these and why you do not need to worry about them.
Health Scare 1: Cell phones and brain tumors.
Even though cellular phones were invented in the 1970s they did not see widespread use until the 1990s. It was also during the 90s that the first health scare involving cell phones leading to brain tumors became widely popularized. Since then, however, research has shown that cell phones pose no significant risk. Though there was a study that linked cell phones to brain tumors in mice, 17 other studies that attempted to replicate these results failed to do so. Also, epidemiologists have tracked brain tumor rates since 1970s and have found no significant increase in brain tumors as cell phones have become more popular.
Health Scare 2: There’s dangerous mercury in seafood.
The benefits of adding at least one fish course to your weekly diet is significant, potentially reducing your risk of developing heart disease by 35 percent or more. However, after the Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protections Agency issued a 2004 warning about the dangers of mercury in fish, many people have steered clear of seafood altogether. However, that warning applied only to specific fish species: tilefish, swordfish, king mackerel, and shark. Further, it only applied to women of childbearing years. For everyone else, and for all other fish species, the benefits of eating seafood far outweigh the potential risks.
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