Breast Cancer

Have cancer cases increased from 1 in 20 people in the early 1900s to 1 in 3 people, according to the latest available data? It depends: While there does not appear to be widespread cancer data from the early 1900s for comparison, the current probability of cancer varies by geographical area. In addition, cancer-detection technology has radically changed since 1900,…

Does drinking out of a water bottle that's been left in a hot car give people breast cancer due to dioxin exposure? No, that's not true: Dioxins can give people cancer, but dioxin is not found in the plastics used to bottle water, be they hot or cold. BPA, which is found in the plastic of water bottles, may be…

Does casein -- the main protein in milk -- cause cancer? No, that's not true: casein is not listed as a carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer or the U.S. National Toxicology Program. The claim originated from a video (archived here) published by the Dr. McDougall Health and Medical Center YouTube channel on February 29, 2016, under…

Was John Travolta found dead from apparent suicide after his wife's death? No, that's not true: This death hoax is one of many produced by a complex scheme coming from the Philippines that drives web traffic by tricking people into sharing a link to the scam in order to continue watching a video.The false story originated shortly after the public…

Does the organic sulfur compound methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) cure stage 4 breast cancer and reverse autism as well as relieve lupus symptoms? No, all but a grain of this is inflated or outright false. The grain of truth is that MSM has been found to reduce joint inflammation for some lupus sufferers. The other claims are false, as there is no…

Did Sheryl Crow say on television that she won't let her kids watch TV when President Trump is on, and that she prefers "classy people like Hillary Clinton"? No, that's not true: This clickbait headline has been circulating since 2017. And while the first part about Trump is fairly accurate, the second part - "I prefer classy people like Hillary…

Is it true that all non-emergency or so-called elective surgeries are banned due to the lockdowns put in place to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus? No, that's a massive misreading of executive orders to step up priority patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, many surgeries -- including to remove brain tumors, for for organ transplants, breast…

Is it true that names of people who have died from the novel coronavirus have not been published by news media or posted on the internet? No, that's not true: News organizations have repeatedly reported on the victims -- often giving life stories of those lost to the pandemic. The claim has been spreading on Facebook, including in this post…

Did a study endorsed by a Nobel Prize winner claim that the vegan diet can cause a variety of health benefits? No, that's not entirely true: The research did not focus on the vegan diet. It showed that a combination of lifestyle changes - diet, activity, stress management, and social support - provided health benefits to the very small pilot…

Are M&M's candies linked to cancer and a host of other health issues? No, that's not true: An article warning about the dangers of consuming the popular chocolate candies appears to overstate the health risks, and some of the concerns it mentions are either outdated or outright false. The claims originated from an article (archived here) published by Living Traditionally…