&Quot;Food&Quot; &Quot;Diet&Quot;

Is corn syrup "illegal in much of the world," as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: Lead Stories found no evidence that corn syrup is banned in any country. The claim stems from a common misconception that high fructose corn syrup is banned in the European Union, which is false. The sweetener was formerly regulated under a…

Can exercise and diet cure Type I diabetes? No, that's not true: At the time of this writing, there is no known cure for diabetes, medical experts told Lead Stories. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Mayo Clinic both state that there is no cure for the disease as of April 2024. The claim appeared in a…

Is the "Budwig Diet" -- a diet rich in low-fat cottage cheese and organic flaxseed oil -- a scientifically proven treatment or preventative for cancer? No, that's not true: Oncological experts agree that there is "no reliable evidence to show that the Budwig diet can treat or prevent cancer" in humans, writes Cancer Research UK. The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer…

Does dairy consumption lead to calcium deficiency due to acidity, as a video on Facebook claims? No, that's not true: The International Osteoporosis Foundation writes that milk and other dairy foods are not acid-forming and do not leach calcium from the bones. A registered dietician who is a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics told Lead Stories that…

Does a viral video on Facebook prove that all protein powder is made from maggots? No, that's not true: The footage captures a single facility in South Korea that produces mealworm flour for human consumption. Most types of commercially available protein powder in the United States is made from other ingredients such as milk or plants. The claim reappeared in…

Is sesame oil a more effective cancer treatment than a dose of radiation or chemotherapy? No, that's not true: Sesame oil is not a recognized or proven treatment for cancer. In contrast, radiation and chemotherapy are widely accepted medical treatments that have been extensively studied and shown to be effective in many cases by targeting and killing cancer cells or…

Did singer Kelly Clarkson promote ketogenic gummies to lose weight in a Facebook video? No, that's not true: The audio has been edited from a video originally posted on Clarkson's Facebook page. Lead Stories searched and found no evidence that Clarkson has promoted gummies for weight loss. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) where it was published…

Do baby carrots lack nutritional value and harm the kidneys, as a post on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: Baby carrots are just regular carrots that have been "cut and peeled," a dietician told Lead Stories. While it is true that baby carrots are lightly rinsed with chlorine, the amount is "typically less than what you have in your…

Is it against the law for athletes to endorse milk as a nutritious beverage? No, that's not true: There's nothing inherently illegal about athletes promoting milk as healthy, despite claims by Bobby Price in a YouTube video. Staff from the Federal Trade Commission, which regulates claims in advertising, told Lead Stories that "it's NOT illegal for them to say this."…

When applied to the "liver area," does castor oil "break up" gallstones and kidney stones, as a video on Facebook claimed? No, that's not true: No substantive evidence exists that topically applied castor oil can treat gallstones or kidney stones. Castor oil is "generally recognized as safe and effective as an over-the-counter laxative product," the Food and Drug Administration confirmed…