25 Debunked Training And Diet Myths

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/practice-smart-fitness-25-debunked-training-and-diet-myths.html
Starting a fitness journey can be intimidating, especially if you're going in without any previous study. If you go to the Internet to find information, you might find yourself smack-dab in the middle of bad logic and bad ideas. It's difficult to sort out the fact from the fiction—especially when the fiction sounds so good.

Very informative article. And hopefully it will inform enough people here to help the forum's repetition of topics that devolve into nothing more than arguments. :)

Replies

  • sunnyside1213
    sunnyside1213 Posts: 1,205 Member
    Thanks for posting this.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
    I have a couple of issues with this article. Firstly I know nothing about bodybuilding so I'm not going to comment on that but I have studied biochemistry and it simply not true to say your brain only runs on glucose, your brain can run on ketone bodies too. I also have an issue with the bit about salt. Most of us in the UK or the US take in way too much salt and should be looking to reduce it, to lower blood pressure and keep our heart healthy. Don't believe everything you read on the internet is true, but don't necessarily believe this article either as it has flaws
  • juncture
    juncture Posts: 129 Member
    I have a couple of issues with this article. Firstly I know nothing about bodybuilding so I'm not going to comment on that but I have studied biochemistry and it simply not true to say your brain only runs on glucose, your brain can run on ketone bodies too. I also have an issue with the bit about salt. Most of us in the UK or the US take in way too much salt and should be looking to reduce it, to lower blood pressure and keep our heart healthy. Don't believe everything you read on the internet is true, but don't necessarily believe this article either as it has flaws

    I'm curious as to what source you have to say that your brain can run on ketone bodies? Whilst I don't always believe what I read on the internet I tend to believe what my lecturers taught me and we were taught that your brain needs glucose for energy.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    I have a couple of issues with this article. Firstly I know nothing about bodybuilding so I'm not going to comment on that but I have studied biochemistry

    I also have an issue with the bit about salt. Most of us in the UK or the US take in way too much salt and should be looking to reduce it, to lower blood pressure and keep our heart healthy. Don't believe everything you read on the internet is true, but don't necessarily believe this article either as it has flaws

    from the article

    " Eat a normal amount of salt (1,000-2,000mgs) each day and your body will stop retaining sodium and will get better at releasing it. Eating a proper amount of salt will balance your electrolytes."

    nothing wrong with that advice
  • SHBoss1673
    SHBoss1673 Posts: 7,161 Member
    I have a couple of issues with this article. Firstly I know nothing about bodybuilding so I'm not going to comment on that but I have studied biochemistry and it simply not true to say your brain only runs on glucose, your brain can run on ketone bodies too. I also have an issue with the bit about salt. Most of us in the UK or the US take in way too much salt and should be looking to reduce it, to lower blood pressure and keep our heart healthy. Don't believe everything you read on the internet is true, but don't necessarily believe this article either as it has flaws

    I'm curious as to what source you have to say that your brain can run on ketone bodies? Whilst I don't always believe what I read on the internet I tend to believe what my lecturers taught me and we were taught that your brain needs glucose for energy.

    it's true, your brain can use ketone bodies. The blood-brain barrier cannot pass blood fats, which can be used by most metabolic processes for direct energy (though this is a secondary usage), the molecules are to large, but ketones which have a smaller molecular structure are fine to pass the barrier. The brain will always choose glucose over ketones, and normally ketones are not used by the brain because the liver will convert them to glucose before trying to feed the brain ketones by using the krebs cycle and canabalizing existing amino acids (protein), but it CAN use ketones, normally the only time ketones become a primary source of energy for the brain is when the body is in ketosis though. Because the krebs cycle is expensive metabolically and slow, sometimes the liver cannot convert enough to glucose to supply the enormous energy demands the brain requires to function (the brain uses about 22% of your total calorie intake, crazy huh?).
  • katevarner
    katevarner Posts: 884 Member
    Some really good info here--thanks for sharing.
  • sarahcuddle
    sarahcuddle Posts: 349 Member
    As far as ketones go - What he said, thanks SHboss1673. As far as the salt issue. The section is titled 'Myth 6 Salt is bad for you' and talks about people being low in sodium. It's very unlikely that anyone eating a western diet, even a very clean eating one would be low on sodium so it's misleading. Most people would be looking to reduce their levels of salt to reach the recommendations, not increase them
  • Ph4lanx
    Ph4lanx Posts: 213 Member
    As far as ketones go - What he said, thanks SHboss1673. As far as the salt issue. The section is titled 'Myth 6 Salt is bad for you' and talks about people being low in sodium. It's very unlikely that anyone eating a western diet, even a very clean eating one would be low on sodium so it's misleading. Most people would be looking to reduce their levels of salt to reach the recommendations, not increase them

    And yet, there was no mention in that item that you should increase or reduce. They simply stated a proper level, and dispelled the myth that salt is bad for you, which seems to go around with people shouting not to take in any salt at all when they are training/dieting. They said nothing more.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Bump - well worth a read.