Fact Check: Viral Facebook post featuring 7 popular health tips debunked

Hyderabad: A post advising adopting seven ways to live a healthy life is making rounds on social media.

In the Facebook post, the headline for the seven tips translates to, “Do this to stay healthy. Must read. 7 easy solutions for a better life.” The tips are as follows:

1. Drinking lukewarm water provides relief from 80 per cent body pain.

2. Drinking coconut water before noon is beneficial for the body.

3. Sleeping with a loud fan or AC running increases the risk of obesity.

4. Ghee and milk of desi cow prevents bleeding and maintains energy in the body.

5. If you want to avoid heart disease, keep the width of the waist less than 85 cm.

6. If you do not eat grains for 70 days in a year, you will never get a liver infection and friends.

7. One must walk for at least 80 minutes every day.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claims from the ‘life tips’ are partly false.

We reached out to Prof. Dr S Vijay Mohan, MD, senior consultant physician, Care Hospitals, and the HoD for the Department of Internal Medicine to check if these health tips work. Here’s what the doctor had to say.

1. Drinking lukewarm water provides relief from 80 percent of body pain.

There is no robust scientific proof for this statement, though many people suggest this. Our body is made up of 60 per cent of water and its intake-output balance is maintained by several dynamic and complex mechanisms from the brain's thirst centre and kidney’s water execrations mechanism, sweating from the skin and some hormones. Whether you drink warm or cold water, by the time it crosses the mouth it reaches the body’s normal temperature. There is no specific benefit to drinking warm water. Except for gargling during a throat infection, we don’t recommend warm water for general use for everyone.

2. Drinking coconut water before noon is beneficial for the body.

Coconut water is the best naturally occurring drink which has several health benefits as it contains a good amount of nutrients like potassium etc. During summer or when someone has diarrhea or vomiting, it helps replenish the important electrolytes. However, it is not recommended for people with kidney disease as it may prove dangerous to them. Kidney patients, the so-called CKD ( Chronic Kidney Disease) patients are more likely to fail to throw out unwanted metabolic waste products daily. Our normal kidneys filter about 180 liters of blood in 24 hours and produce about 1 and a half liters of urine which is good enough to excrete the waste products of our body. When kidneys are dysfunctional these excretion mechanisms get hampered and these toxic waste products tend to remain in the blood posing a danger. Potassium is one of those electrolytes which in excess may cause cardiac rhythm disturbances and even cardiac arrest. Coconut water, a rich source of Potassium, tends to accumulate in the blood in large volumes and may cause heart-related issues. This is why coconut water and other fruit juices should be avoided in CKD patients.

3. Sleeping with a loud fan or AC running increases the risk of obesity.

Running a fan at a high speed or an AC does not increase weight in humans. It may cause some infections of the respiratory tract if the AC ducts are unclean and contaminated with bacteria, like Legionella.

4. Ghee and milk of desi cow prevents bleeding and maintains energy in the body.

Ghee and cow milk are excellent sources of protein, fat, and thus energy, which is mainly important for children. Adults do not need them. Consuming them in moderation might be fine but excess usage may increase the bad cholesterol levels in the body.

5. If you want to avoid heart disease, keep the width of the waist less than 85 cm.

Right. Maintaining a proper waist-hip ratio is essential to avoid heart-related diseases. Belly fat reaches the liver faster and gets converted into harmful cholesterol which is a major risk factor for heart diseases.

6. If you do not eat grains for 70 days in a year, you will never get a liver infection.

Intermittent fasting is a dieting trend that is picking up internationally too and is associated with several health benefits. Generally speaking, reducing carbs in the diet is good for everyone. However, there is no connection between grains and liver infection as bacteria or viruses cause the latter.

7. One must walk for at least 80 minutes every day.

Yes, absolutely. Daily walking is essential for our cardio-respiratory fitness. International guidelines recommend a minimum of 20 minutes of brisk walking daily for good health.