LEMON juice, mosquito bites and blood donations?

There’s a lot of health myths doing the rounds online, especially in connection to Coronavirus.

But what common health myths do Brits believe in most?

To find out, the Weight Loss Calculator team at Gigacalculator surveyed 2,424 British consumers.

The survey comprised of the most common health myths available to read online – and required respondents to select the myths they believe in most.

Gigacalculator.com found the common health myth Brits believe in most is ‘sitting too close to the TV will damage your eyes’, at 62%. While it’s true to say concentrating on a screen for hours can lead to eyestrain, watching TV, even closely, will not damage your eyesight.

However, it is recommended that you keep the room well-lit and take screen breaks.

While over half of Brits (55%) think ‘eating before drinking keeps you sober.’ ‘Low-fat foods are better for your health’ is third on the myth list but be cautious. If a food label reads “low-fat” or “reduced fat”, it should contain less fat, but that doesn’t automatically make it healthier.

Some low-fat options may also contain high levels of sugar and other substitutes. Worryingly, 2 in 10 (20%) of Brits believe ‘pulling out’ is a form of contraception, while a further 14% think ‘you can’t get pregnant on your period.’ In fact, the latter is a common fertility myth and it’s true the odds for pregnancy are lower on your period, but they aren’t zero.

It is advised to use effective contraception, such as the pill or condoms, to avoid pregnancy.

Comparably, Brits are less likely to believe myths like ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ (5%), ‘people get warts from frogs and toads’ (5%) and ‘coffee stunts your growth’, at 2%.