February 2023 "Science" Rumor List: Is reconstituted milk "fake milk"? Does ovulation induction and egg retrieval lead to early menopause?

The list of "scientific" rumors for February 2023 is revealed! Does water boiled in electric kettles damage nerves and cause cancer? Does ovulation induction and egg retrieval lead to early menopause? Is urticaria caused by wind? The truth >>

The monthly "science" rumor list is guided by the Beijing Association for Science and Technology, the Beijing Municipal Cyberspace Administration, and the Capital Internet Association, and jointly released by the Beijing Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Association and the Beijing Regional Website Joint Rumor-Refuting Platform, and is supported by the Science and Technology Journalists and Editors Professional Committee of the China Science Writers Association, the China Evening News Science Editors and Journalists Association, the Shanghai Science Communication Association, and the Institute of Science and Technology Information of the Beijing Academy of Science and Technology.

1. Water from electric kettles can damage nerves and cause cancer

gossip

The inner pot of the electric kettle is made of stainless steel, which contains manganese, which will be precipitated during the boiling process. Long-term intake can lead to excessive manganese in the body, thereby damaging nerves and even causing cancer!

the truth

Although the materials used to make electric kettles contain manganese, it exists in a dense structure and is difficult to precipitate out during daily water boiling. Even if the kettle is boiled for more than 1,000 hours, the amount of manganese that can be precipitated is very limited, and its impact on the human body is basically negligible.

As long as you buy a regular product, it is safe and there is no risk of poisoning or cancer. When buying a stainless steel kettle, you should choose food-grade stainless steel such as 304 stainless steel, 316 stainless steel, or choose an electric kettle with the words "Implementation standard GB 9684-2011" or "Food contact" logo. For glass kettles, you should choose high borosilicate glass, which has stable performance, safe material, and is not easy to form scale.

Ceramic electric kettles, if they are colored, may release toxic heavy metal elements. It is recommended that you choose one with a plain or unpatterned inner wall.

2. Reconstituted milk is “fake milk”

gossip

Many dairy products on the market are labeled as "reconstituted milk". These products are "fake milk" and are not good for your health when consumed.

the truth

Reconstituted milk is a dairy product produced in accordance with relevant industry standards. It has unique advantages over raw milk, and regular products will not cause health problems.

Reconstituted milk, also known as reconstituted milk or reconstituted milk, refers to the emulsion obtained by mixing dry or concentrated dairy products with water in a uniform proportion. In layman's terms, reconstituted milk is milk that is reconstituted by "adding milk powder to water". my country's current relevant standards stipulate that reconstituted milk can be used as raw milk for sterilized milk, modulated milk, fermented milk and other milk products. It also stipulates that "reconstituted milk" or "reconstituted milk" and the product name should be marked on the same display surface of the packaging container (the logo should be eye-catching, its font size should not be smaller than the product name font size, and the font height should not be less than one-fifth of the height of the main display surface). In other words, the eye-catching words "reconstituted milk" on milk packaging are because the state forces dairy companies to inform consumers that the raw milk of the product is not all raw cow's milk, in order to protect consumers' right to know and right to choose.

Compared with raw milk, the processing of reconstituted milk is more complicated, and it has to go through at least two high-temperature treatments, such as sterilizing raw milk and hot spraying milk powder. As a result, some nutrients are inevitably lost, mainly water-soluble vitamins that are sensitive to heat, such as vitamin B1, B2, B6, B12, etc. At the same time, the flavor of milk will also change.

But the loss of this water-soluble vitamin does not mean that reconstituted milk is bad. From a nutritional point of view, the main purpose of drinking milk is to obtain high-quality protein and calcium, as well as fat-soluble vitamins A and D. These nutrients are relatively heat-resistant, and high-temperature treatment will not have much impact on their content and absorption rate. As for water-soluble vitamins, taking vitamin B2 and vitamin B12 as examples, the loss of reconstituted milk is about 15% compared to pure cow's milk, which is not serious. The advantage of reconstituted milk is its lower storage and transportation costs, which allows consumers living far away from the milk source to drink more cost-effective milk.

3. Bringing your phone into the kitchen while cooking can cause an explosion

gossip

When cooking, never put your mobile phone in the kitchen to prevent the mobile phone from exploding due to heat and causing the gas pipeline to explode. You should not answer the phone in the kitchen to prevent the electric spark from causing the gas to explode.

the truth

When cooking, the gas released from the gas pipe or gas bottle is generally consumed immediately on the stove and will not leak to other parts of the kitchen. The current generated by the mobile phone during the process of making and receiving calls is very weak, far less than the open flame on the stove. Therefore, answering the phone while cooking is unlikely to cause an explosion.

But if there is a gas leak in the kitchen, the situation is different. At this time, as long as there is an open flame or electric spark in the room, there is a possibility of explosion. There is another situation that needs special attention. Batteries are not resistant to high temperatures. When cooking, the temperature around the stove rises. If you put your mobile phone next to the stove, there is a risk of battery explosion.

4. Ovulation induction and egg retrieval can lead to early menopause

gossip

Undergoing ovulation-inducing treatment for in vitro fertilization is equivalent to overdrawing the eggs in advance, thus leading to early menopause.

the truth

This worry is totally unnecessary. There are about 300,000 eggs in the ovaries of adolescent women. In the following decades, about 30 eggs will be closed and die every day. Even without the use of ovulation-inducing drugs, a large number of follicles will develop in one menstrual cycle. The most sensitive follicle will mature and ovulate under the action of hormones in the body, while other eggs in the same batch will die. Taking ovulation-inducing injections can make those eggs that would otherwise die grow and mature. This is a kind of "turning waste into treasure and recycling resources". It will not consume the "inventory" of eggs, so it will not cause menopause to come early or aging to occur early.

5. Off-season fruits are unhealthy, try not to eat them

gossip

There are more and more fruits grown out of season on the market. These fruits are harmful to your health, so try not to eat them.

the truth

Seasonal fruits are fruits that grow and mature in different seasons according to the natural laws of the seasons, while off-season fruits are those grown in greenhouses. Off-season fruits are not grown by the use of hormones, but mainly by changing the growth environment through greenhouse facilities and raising the room temperature, so as to advance the maturity season of the plants. Therefore, it is not difficult to eat fresh fruits that were only available in summer in the cold winter.

If cultivated in accordance with national quality standards, the quality of off-season fruits is not much different from that of seasonal fruits, and they pose no harm to health.

6. Rubella is caused by the wind

gossip

As the name suggests, the disease "rubella" is blown by the wind.

the truth

Rubella is an acute rash-causing infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. It is a common respiratory infectious disease among children. It can be prevalent in kindergartens, schools and other gatherings. It is also not uncommon for young people, adults and the elderly to get sick during the epidemic period. It is a Class C infectious disease in my country's statutory infectious diseases. Because the rash of rubella comes and goes quickly, like a gust of wind, it is named "rubella".

Rubella can occur throughout the year, with the highest incidence in winter and spring. The main route of transmission is through droplets through the respiratory tract, and can also be transmitted through virus-contaminated utensils, clothing, and direct contact. Pregnant women infected with rubella virus can pass it to the fetus through the placenta. Both patients and latently infected people are sources of infection for this disease. The disease is most contagious on the day of onset and the day before. The virus can be isolated from the patient's oral, nasal, and pharyngeal secretions, as well as blood, urine, etc.

7. Potato patches and pepper water baths can treat hemorrhoids

gossip

Crush the metronidazole and put it on a potato slice and apply it to the hemorrhoids, or take a sitz bath in water soaked in Sichuan peppercorns to treat thrombosed hemorrhoids.

the truth

Thrombosed hemorrhoids are foreign bodies. Any touch or squeeze on them will cause obvious pain. No matter how thin the potato slices are cut, they are still relatively hard. Applying them to the affected area will still increase the pain. Secondly, metronidazole is an anti-inflammatory drug that mainly targets anaerobic bacteria in the intestine. However, thrombosed hemorrhoids are not caused by bacterial infection, but local circulatory disorders, and metronidazole has no effect. Therefore, whether it is the actual operation or the drug itself, applying potato slices has no effect on treating hemorrhoids.

Thrombosed hemorrhoids are an acute attack of hemorrhoids. Due to excessive force and other reasons, blood comes out of the blood vessels and accumulates under the skin, resulting in swelling, pain, and foreign body sensation. The regular treatment for thrombosed hemorrhoids is to improve local microcirculation to eliminate edema. There are many therapeutic drugs, both oral and topical. Even without medication, thrombosed hemorrhoids can be slowly absorbed. Of course, some large thrombosed hemorrhoids still require surgery if they cannot be completely absorbed.

As for the "therapeutic effect" of Sichuan pepper water sitz bath, it is essentially the relaxation and relief of the affected area by warm water. There is no evidence that Sichuan pepper has any special effect. For patients with thrombosed hemorrhoids, Sichuan pepper water sitz bath has little effect, especially in the early stages of the disease. If you use overheated Sichuan pepper water for a sitz bath, it may aggravate the occurrence of thrombosed hemorrhoids.

8. Toothpaste is less effective when dipped in water

gossip

Dipping in water will reduce the friction of the abrasive in the toothpaste, which will have an adverse effect on the cleaning effect of the teeth. In addition, the effectiveness of whitening toothpaste or desensitizing toothpaste will be greatly reduced after dipping in water.

the truth

Toothpaste is not only not afraid of water, but also needs water to work. In fact, water (15% to 50%), abrasives (25% to 60%), and moisturizers (20% to 60%) are the three main ingredients of toothpaste. If toothpaste only has abrasives as an ingredient, its solid particles will be like "a pile of loose sand", unable to play the expected cleaning role, or "head-on" with teeth, causing great damage to teeth.

Therefore, liquid water is added to toothpaste as a "comrade-in-arms" that can "fight side by side" with abrasives. First, it can "condense" abrasive particles, and second, it can buffer the friction between abrasive particles and teeth. Of course, the water in toothpaste is not ordinary water, but distilled water and deionized water. It is worth noting that, except for baking soda, most abrasives are difficult to dissolve in water, so the addition of water usually does not have a substantial effect on the decontamination ability of abrasives.

In addition, toothpastes with various functions also require water.

Whitening toothpaste usually uses peroxides such as calcium peroxide to bleach teeth, and calcium peroxide can only decompose into hydrogen peroxide when it comes into contact with water, which can ultimately exert its effect.

One of the ways to desensitize toothpaste is to use potassium ions in the drug to numb the pain nerves. Its effective ingredients are mainly soluble potassium salts. Soluble potassium salts can only dissociate into potassium ions when they come into contact with water. Similarly, the fluoride in fluoride toothpaste must also be soluble fluoride such as sodium fluoride.

Considering the moisture in the saliva of a healthy person's mouth, it doesn't matter whether you dip the toothpaste in water or not. But if the saliva secretion is abnormal, or the toothpaste is relatively viscous, dipping it in water may be a more appropriate choice.

9. There is food incompatibility between tangerines and milk

gossip

Milk and tangerines are incompatible and cannot be consumed at the same time. Eating them together will produce precipitation and cause diarrhea.

the truth

The precipitation that occurs when milk and tangerines meet is a phenomenon of protein flocculation, which is easily digested in the stomach. The flocculation occurs when the protein in the milk encounters the organic acid in the tangerines, causing it to denature and coagulate. Denatured proteins are often easier to digest. This is a natural change, not a "food incompatibility".

If you experience diarrhea after eating, you need to consider whether it is caused by lactose intolerance or food spoilage. Therefore, tangerines and milk can be consumed at the same time, but avoid excessive consumption and pay attention to food hygiene.

(Sources of this issue: China Internet Joint Rumor Refutation Platform, Beijing Daily, Tencent Jiuzhen, Scientific Rumor Refutation, and "Clinical Nutrition Network" WeChat public account)

Produced by: Science Central Kitchen

Produced by: Beijing Science and Technology News | Beijing Science and Technology Media

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