Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
Sebaceous gland hyperactivity, driven by androgen receptor sensitivity in genetically predisposed individuals, is a necessary prerequisite for the development of acne vulgaris, as sebum overproduction creates a microenvironment conducive to follicular occlusion and inflammatory lesion formation.
Assertion
Topical moisturizers function primarily as occlusive barriers that reduce transepidermal water loss, rather than delivering hydration to the dermis; the perceived improvement in skin plumpness is due to temporary epidermal water retention, not structural or biochemical changes.
Topical sunscreen with SPF 50 retains ≥84% of its photoprotective efficacy after 8–10 hours of indoor exposure with minimal incidental sunlight, negating the need for frequent reapplication in non-sporting, non-sweating contexts.
Quantitative
Chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure is the primary etiological factor in the development of non-melanoma skin cancers, specifically basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, which frequently occur on sun-exposed facial regions and can result in significant structural disfigurement upon surgical excision.
Ultraviolet radiation exposure induces melanin production as a protective response, but this process simultaneously causes cumulative DNA damage in skin cells, leading to photoaging and increased risk of skin cancer.
Eating foods with saturated fat, like butter or meat, doesn't seem to raise your risk of heart disease or dying from it, based on the studies reviewed.
Correlational
People who said they ate more fatty foods did have slightly higher levels of one type of saturated fat in their blood, but also much lower levels of healthy omega-3 fats — meaning their diet was probably less healthy overall.
Descriptive
People who eat more saturated fat in this group had higher inflammation and weight, but surprisingly lower bad cholesterol — which might explain why their arteries didn’t get thicker.
In older adults with heart disease risk factors, how much they exercise, smoke, or their education level matters more for artery health than how much saturated fat they eat.
No common gene differences found in this group of older adults make them more or less sensitive to the effects of eating saturated fat on their artery thickness.
Eating a lot of fatty foods like butter and red meat doesn't seem to make the arteries thicken more in older adults at risk for heart disease, once you account for how much they exercise, smoke, or their education level.
Most of the bad fat these women ate came from pork — more than from eggs, milk, or oil — so cutting back on pork could be the best way to improve their cholesterol.
In this group of Filipino women, eating more total fat or healthy fats like those in soybean oil didn’t seem to make their blood fat levels worse or better — only saturated fat did.
Some Filipino women have a specific gene version (CC) that makes them more sensitive to the bad effects of saturated fat on cholesterol — when they eat more saturated fat, their cholesterol rises more than in women without this gene version.
When Filipino women in Korea swapped some carbs (like rice or bread) for foods rich in monounsaturated fat (like olive oil or pork fat), their unhealthy blood fat levels went down significantly.
Filipino women in Korea who ate more saturated fat (like from pork and eggs) were much more likely to have high bad cholesterol and unhealthy blood fat levels than those who ate less.
When monkeys ate a high-fat diet, their bad cholesterol went up not because each particle got fuller of cholesterol, but because there were way more particles floating around in their blood.
When monkeys ate a lot of fat and cholesterol for just 6 weeks, their bad cholesterol levels went up, their good cholesterol didn't keep up, and their cholesterol particles didn't get bigger—just more numerous.
When monkeys ate a diet with moderate fat, it didn't matter if the fat came from palm oil, lard, or sunflower oil— their 'bad cholesterol' particles stayed the same in number, shape, and content.
Past studies that said obese people burn fewer calories after eating might have been misleading because they compared obese people with unusually active lean people or included diabetic patients who burn more calories at rest.
Even though obese people have higher blood sugar after eating carbs, their bodies still break down and use the sugar from those carbs just as well as lean people do.
Obese and lean people burn about the same number of extra calories after eating the same amount of food, no matter if it’s protein, carbs, or fat.
People with obesity tend to have higher insulin levels when fasting and their blood sugar spikes more after eating carbs, but their bodies still use the sugar from those carbs just like lean people do.
Eating protein makes your body burn more calories after eating than eating the same amount of carbs or fat, no matter if you're lean or obese.