8 METRO Monday, November 9, 2009 D TERMS & CONDITIONS The competition closes at Midnight 13th November and the winners will be chosen at random from the entries received. Entrants must be over 18 years old. Usual Metro rules apply. The Editors decision is final. SP. Oxygen8, Hospitality House, Cumberland Street South, D2. Customer Service number 0818286606 THE OUTLET at Bridgewater Park, Banbridge, in conjunction with the Slieve Donard 4* Hotel, is offering a fantastic shop and spa break for two. The prize includes: Overnight stay for two people in the luxurious Slieve Donard Resort and Spa Complimentary passes to the new spa facilities 100 each in shopping vouchers to spend at THE OUTLET Complimentary lunch at the exclusive Deanes restaurant worth up to the value of 50. THE OUTLET is Irelands ultimate shopping destination offering savings of up to 70% off RRP every single day and hosts over 60 great designer and high street stores including brands not available at any other outlet scheme in Ireland, such as GAP, Armani and Luella stockist The Designer Studio, Joseph, Bench, Puma, VANS, Warehouse, Oasis, DKNY JEANS, and Timberland. For more information why not visit us at www.the-outlet.co.uk or for details on the 4* Slieve Donard Resort and Spa click on www.hastingshotels.com To enter simply answer the following question; THE OUTLET is situated between which two cities; A. Dublin & Kilkenny B. Dublin & Cork C. Dublin & Belfast TO ENTER : Text OUTLET followed by your answer A, B or C and your name to 57199 (texts cost 1euro per message + standard network charges) or email your answer, your name and contact details to ireland.comps@metroireland.ie metrocompetition WIN THE ULTIMATE SHOP AND SPA PACKAGE AT BRIDGEWATER PARK, BANBRIDGE, CO.DOWN Edited by Lisa Scott features@metroireland.ie Body Matters Myth-busting: An expert debunks old wives tales about our minds and bodies BY ANDREW WILLIAMS Health advice is hit and myth Pictures:Alamy D octor Aaron Carroll was first inspired to write a book debunking health-myths when he heard a doctor giving advice on a radio show about how to avoid poisoned sweets on Halloween. I was blown away, says Carroll. I knew people had put a lot of effort into busting this urban myth: there has never been a proven case of a stranger giving a child poisoned candy on Halloween, but here it was being repeated again. I spoke to my co-author Rachel about it and thats where the idea came from. There are lots of myths that we all believe but theres lots of research proving they absolutely arent true. Here are Carrolls five favourites: You should drink eight glasses of water a day: This myth comes from an American Nutrition Council report from 60 years ago in which scientists said people should have 64 ounces (two litres) of liquid a day. They made the number up, theres no science behind it. They also said youll get that from a normal diet, from fluid in fruit and vegetables and in tea or coffee. It somehow morphed into the idea of the eight glasses. That has been built up by the bottled water industry, which suggests water can help with weight loss or it benefits your skin. No study ever has shown those things to be true. Drink water if you feel thirsty but dont feel you need to. Eating at night makes you fat: This myth started after Swedish researchers released their findings on obese women. The women ate a lot at night but people failed to realise the women also ate a lot throughout the day. They were obese due to the calorie content of their diets, not because of when they ate the food. Subsequent research has shown it doesnt matter when you eat, it doesnt affect your metabolism or how you store fat. The key to weight loss is to eat fewer calories than your body burns. As long as you do that, it doesnt matter what time of day you eat, youll lose weight. Chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years: Chewing gum is made from elastomers, resins, fats, emulsifiers and waxes. Most of the time your stomach cant break down the gum as it does with other foods. However, we eat lots of food we cant fully digest so our gut moves them along until they get to the intestines and so on. Gum would only stay in your body for one or two days. If you swallowed many small pieces of gum in a short time it could cause a blockage, so its best to avoid doing that, but swallowing gum really isnt a big deal. Men think about sex every seven seconds: This myth feeds into the idea that men are consumed by thoughts of sex, so they repeat the myth without realising how absurd it is. Based on this myth, men who are awake for 16 hours a day would be thinking about sex 57,000 a day. Thats about as often as people breathe thinking about anything that often would drive a person insane. If youre stung by a jellyfish, get someone to urinate on you: Experts disagree when it comes to jellyfish stings. One study shows that if youre stung by a Portuguese man-of-war, putting the sting in hot water may reduce the pain but putting ice on it doesnt. Another study shows vinegar prevents tropical jellyfish stingers from firing in lab tests but doesnt ease the pain from stingers that have already fired. The urine remedy has not been studied but there is no reason to think it would help. Our motto would be: When in doubt, dont let anyone pee on you. Dont Swallow Your Gum: And Other Medical Myths Debunked is out now published by Penguin, 9.85. TESTING CORNER This week: Techie trainers Running in Hi-Tecs V-Lite Trail Eruption HPi shoes was a new experience. The trainers are the product of two years of biomechanical testing and promise to improve distribution of pressure through the shoe, which helps to channel energy more efficiently, taking strain away from your lower leg and providing better cushioning. To those in the know, the four critical phases of running are heel strike, mid-foot stance, forefoot stance and toe-off. To ensure you achieve your best in each stage, Hi-Tec has used denser materials to absorb shock and distribute pressure in a way that mimics bare foot movement. It works these shoes felt like part of me. They were heavy duty when I needed them but were lightweight at the same time. The shoes felt supportive under my heel and around my ankle while the top of my feet felt ventilated. Sore knees are a thing of the past. Bad news Ive got no excuse not to go for a run now. 90. Tel: 0044 1702 541771 for stockists. www.hi-tec.com Medical myths afoot: A jellyfish sting should not be treated with urine index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html