13 Pervasive Myths We Believe About The Human Body
![13 Pervasive Myths We Believe About The Human Body](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/3/898593_320x180.jpg)
Ah, the mysteries of the human body. We all know that it’s an amazing and complex machine, capable of incredible feats of strength and endurance. But there are also many myths and misconceptions about the body that have been passed down through the generations. Some of these myths are so ingrained in our culture that we don’t even question them. So, in this list, we’ll be exploring 13 of the most common myths about the human body, debunking them one by one.
From the idea that we only use 10% of our brains to the belief that drinking milk can protect our bones, there are a lot of myths out there that most of us have grown up believing. And also, from the supposed effects of sugar on hyperactivity to the idea of suffocating someone with gold, we’ll be taking a closer look at these myths and why they don’t hold up to scientific scrutiny.
So if you’re ready to find out the truth about some of the most pervasive myths out there, read on.
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‘Goldfinger’: Suffocatingly unrealistic.
![Totally covering your skin can kill you. In Goldfinger, a woman covered in gold paint dies of skin suffocation, and the filmmakers worried that might happen to the actress. In real life, you can't actually suffocate someone by doing that. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/8/898598.jpg)
Eon Productions
Pee not so pure.
![Urine is sterile. It's a myth that pee is totally clean. In reality, even healthy people have some bacteria in their urine. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/6/898606.jpg)
Turns out, taste buds aren’t just in one spot.
![Taste receptors are neatly grouped. We often think that the taste receptors for salty, sweet, bitter and sour are only located in certain parts of the tongue, but that's not true. Actually, these receptors are spread out all over the tongue. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/5/898605.jpg)
Sugar: Not the cause of hyperactivity.
![CRACKED Sugar makes you-hyper. It's been a long-held belief that eating too much sugar can make kids hyperactive, but science has found no clear proof of this. That said, it's possible sugar can still affect behavior in other ways, like changing how certain brain chemicals are made.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/7/898597.jpg)
Shaving won’t make your hair thicker.
![CRACKED Shaved hair grows back thicker. Shaving doesn't change the color, thickness, or how fast the hair grows. It might feel a bit coarser or stubbly when it starts to grow back, which can make it seem darker or thicker, but it's not actually changing.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/5/898595.jpg)
Milk won’t save your bones -- it might even break them.
![CRACKED Milk is good for your bones. It's a myth that drinking milk can stop you from getting bone fractures or osteoporosis. In fact, if you drink a lot of dairy products when you're a teenager, you might be more likely to get bone fractures when you're older.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/4/898604.jpg)
Pain is gain.
![CRACKED Lactic acid makes your muscles-sore after a workout. Lactic acid build-up is actually a natural defense mechanism. The soreness is caused by damage to the muscle cells and an increase in the release of different metabolites into the tissue around the muscle cells.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/1/898601.jpg)
Heart’s not where you think.
![CRACKED Your heart is on your-left side. It's a myth that the heart is on the left side of the chest. Actually, the heart is in the middle of the chest, but it's slightly tilted to the left.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/6/898596.jpg)
Eggs: Not So Bad?
![What you eat affects your blood cholesterol. It's a common belief that eating, say, eggs will raise your cholesterol levels and put you at risk for heart and artery disease. But research has shown that the cholesterol you eat doesn't really affect the amount of cholesterol in your blood. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/5/9/9/898599.jpg)
Equal Opportunity Cells.
![Your-bacteria massively outnumber your own cells It's often thought that for every human cell in our body, there are 10 bacteria and other microbes. But it's more likely that there's actually a roughly equal number of both. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/2/898602.jpg)
Calories In, Calories Out.
![CRACKED Metabolism speed is set, and it matters USA for weight loss. Your metabolism is partly determined by your genes, but the main factor in whether you gain or lose weight is the balance of calories you take in and burn off.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/3/898603.jpg)
Brain usage: 100%, not 10%.
![You use 10% of your brain. It's a common misconception that we only use 10% of our brains. In reality, research has shown that we use almost all of our brain, and that most of it is active most of the time. CRACKED](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/0/898600.jpg)
Explosive fiction.
![CRACKED Vacuum would make you pop It's a myth that if someone is exposed to a vacuum, their body will swell up and explode. It would be deadly, but it wouldn't cause your body to swell up. You'd remain conscious for a few seconds until the lack of oxygen reaches your brain.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/imageset/6/0/7/898607.jpg)
TriStar Pictures