Fact or Fiction: Colorado College Community Does Some Myth Busting

Do we really need eight glasses of water a day? Does swallowed gum sit in your digestive tract for seven years? Are all snowflakes unique? We live in a world in which we are constantly bombarded with facts and figures, information on how to be healthy, how to eat, and how to live. The more frequently a piece of information is cited, the more likely we are to take it for granted, regardless of whether an authoritative source has been consulted. This results in fashionable myths that are cited constantly by the general public as well as writers, nutritionists, and teachers. A little research or a discussion with an expert can easily dispel these unfounded myths. We consulted several of CC’s own resident experts, the science professors and students, and asked them to derail some of the myths they encounter regularly.

Phoebe Lostroh, Associate Professor of Biology:

Myth: CC students know how difficult it is to be sick while studying on the block plan, and professors certainly aren’t immune. Professor Lostroh was battling a cold when asked about her favorite myths to bust. Accordingly, she stated that a myth she often hears is that “Airborne and any of those similar supplements will stop a cold or make it shorter.” 

Reality: Lostroh responds, “Zinc in the respiratory tract can help because it interferes with some viruses binding to human tissues. Sadly, evidence about massive doses of Vitamin C is also mixed.” According to Lostroh, the only real cure to the CC cold is to get more rest—a cure she states might require eliminating the block plan. The block plan, however, seems to be more permanent than most circulating myths, so it looks like our colds are here to stay—at least until block break.

Bob Jacobs, Professor of Psychology: Professor Bob Jacobs shared the following three myths collected by his summer class, “Brain and Society”.

Myth: Testosterone causes aggression.

Reality: While 72 percent of those surveyed believed this “fact” to be true, Professor Jacobs affirms that aggression is not caused by testosterone, but it does exaggerate it.

Myth: Humans typically use approximately 10 percent of their brains.

Reality: According to Professor Jacobs, “this makes as much sense from an evolutionary position as saying ‘We have ten figures, but we only use one of them.’  Brains are metabolically very expensive, so nature doesn't just hand them out to have them be largely unused.” Jacobs tells his neuroscience students that the accurate response to anyone who quotes this myth is, “Well, you certainly do.”

Myth: Brain and Mind are separate entities.        

Reality: Jacobs’ summer class found that 64 percent of responders said this was an accurate statement, but Jacobs affirms that it is “simply an antiquated, untenable position.”  He states, “This would be the same as saying the functions of the arm exist in the absence of the arm. The mind is what the brain does; no brain, no mind.”  

Brandon English, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry:
Myths: Dr. English enthusiastically admits that science myths are one of his favorite topics. He lists several that bother him: No two snowflakes are identical, alcohol has an increased effect at higher altitudes, the left hemisphere of the brain is mathematical and logical and the right side is creative and artistic, and Columbus proved the Earth was a sphere.

Reality: Each of the aforementioned myths is simply false. Jon Nelson, a research scientist at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan, has shown that snowflakes that fall in the early stages of crystal formation may not be detailed enough to be unique. Contrary to popular belief, studies for the Federal Aviation Administration suggest that high altitude does not increase the effects of alcohol, so you can’t blame 6,000 feet of added altitude for accidentally partying too hard after a summer at sea-level. While left-brain/right-brain differences are especially ubiquitous, the brain is not nearly simple enough to be divided into functional dichotomies. Finally, ancient Greeks proved a spherical Earth thousands of years earlier than Columbus set sail. The unfortunate reality about these and other science myths, according to Dr. English, is that, “we believe a lot of crap.”

Neena Grover’s Biochemistry Students Desirae Martinez, Evan White, Jimin Kim, Leah Kellogg, Evgenia Shishkova, and David Civitarese:

            Myth: A vegetarian diet does not provide enough protein.

            Reality: Desirae Martinez explains, “What the body requires from protein are amino acids, specifically the essential nine that the body cannot manufacture itself. The body uses the carbon skeletons of these amino acids for a myriad of reactions, including glucose or glycogen synthesis, cellular respiration, and fatty acid synthesis.” While mammals can only synthesize nine of the twenty amino acids, plants can synthesize all twenty. Thus, by eating a balanced vegetarian diet, which includes foods such as nuts, spinach, broccoli, eggs, milk, soy beans, pinto beans, and brown rice, one can easily attain the necessary amino acids. Evgenia Shishkova comments that the human need for protein in itself may be somewhat exaggerated: “An alternative explanation reminds us that the dairy and meat industry sponsored early nutrition and dietary research, and this conflict of interest might have resulted in the placement of their products at the bottom of the [food] pyramid.”  David Civitarese, D1 Hockey player, admits that, upon entering biochemistry, he was skeptical that a vegetarian diet would provide enough protein for a dedicated athlete. To his surprise, he found that the information gleaned from Dr.Grover’s Biochemistry class proved otherwise. However, he adds a word of warning, stating that examining a vegetarian diet based upon simplified proteins does not account for their interactions within the body. “Furthermore,” Civitarese continues, “the psychosomatic effects of switching to a vegetarian diet were not included [in the study].” Civitarese has no plans of turning to vegetarianism in the near future.

Lori Driscoll, Associate Professor of Psychology:

Myth: Dr. Driscoll’s myth is one that circulates regarding science as a general study. She states that the myth she hates to hear is that “by attempting to take objects and phenomena apart into their constituent pieces, scientists fail to appreciate (or even destroy) the beauty of the whole.”

Reality: Dr. Driscoll responds, “Statements like these make a completely artificial distinction between the whole and its parts. The holistic beauty of an object or phenomenon, and the awe that it inspires is not diminished by the fact that it is made of parts, regardless of whether or not the functioning of the parts is relevant to the whole. In fact, if we know more about the parts, doesn’t it make that thing all the more beautiful and awe-inspiring?”

More myths worthy of busting:

Myth: Everyone should drink eight glasses of water a day.

Reality: Sorry water-addicts, but it turns out it isn’t actually necessary to have a Nalgene glued to your hand at all times. The 64-ounce magic number has been repeatedly overturned by scientific research. Heinz Valtin of Duke University reported in the American Journal of Physiology that no evidence supports the myth. Only under special circumstances, such as during strenuous physical activity, long plane flights, hot weather, or for treatment of kidney stones would this quantity of water be necessary. It is even possible to consume too much water, resulting in a state of mental confusion called “water intoxication” that happens most often to athletes and individuals who have taken ecstasy. So cut down on the number of bathroom trips you take during class, and stick to the simple idea of drinking when you’re thirsty.

Myth: It takes seven years for gum to leave your system.

Reality: Although gum is digested more slowly than most foods due to its largely indigestible base, it will eventually succumb to the digestive process after no more than several days. Chronic gum swallowing can be dangerous for children as it may temporarily cause blockages, a danger that is likely responsible for the continuation of the rumor. The good news: no need to worry about that gob of Bubblicious from seventh grade.

This article was previously published in The Catalyst, a publication of the Colorado College in the 2011-2012 school year