551 Health claim verifications avg. score 5.1/10 219 rated (mostly) true 266 rated (mostly) false
“In people with gastrointestinal cancer, gastrointestinal bleeding is commonly caused by bleeding from the tumor.”
Tumor bleeding is an important cause of gastrointestinal bleeding in some patients with gastrointestinal cancer, especially those with luminal tumors and overt bleeding, but the broad claim overstates the evidence. Strong reviews indicate that many bleeding episodes in cancer patients still arise from non-tumor causes such as ulcers, diverticulosis, or hemorrhoids. The statement needs a narrower scope to be reliable.
“Among students, procrastination is associated with lower academic performance, such as lower grades or grade point average (GPA).”
The evidence supports a real overall link between student procrastination and lower grades or GPA. Multiple reviews and meta-analytic findings show that higher academic procrastination is generally associated with worse academic performance, though the effect is usually modest rather than large. Some specific subtypes or samples show weak, null, or even positive results, so the pattern is not universal.
“Parasympathetic nervous system fibers have a craniosacral origin, arising from the brainstem and from sacral spinal cord segments S2–S4.”
Standard anatomy sources support the claim’s central point: parasympathetic outflow is conventionally taught as craniosacral, arising from brainstem nuclei and sacral segments S2-S4. The main caveats are that this description applies most precisely to preganglionic parasympathetic outflow, not all parasympathetic fibers, and that some modern research disputes whether the sacral outflow should be labeled parasympathetic at all.
“In 2024, M. Alnefaie, W. K. Abdelbasset, and R. Alotaibi published a narrative review titled "The impact of the menstrual cycle on speed, strength, and endurance in female athletes."”
The claimed publication is not supported by the available indexed evidence. Sources in the record show related reviews and a 2024 Alnefaie article on similar performance variables, but that paper is not a narrative review and does not have the stated title or co-authors. No reliable bibliographic source confirms the exact publication described.
“An article titled "Mental health awareness among Malaysian university students" by A. Bashir and S. Hassan was published in 2022.”
No reliable database evidence supports the existence of a 2022 article with that exact title and author pair. The evidence instead points to a 2020 doctoral thesis by Anam Bashir, supervised by Sheikha Hassan, with a different title. The claimed 2022 article appears to be a miscitation of that thesis, not a real publication.
“If you pluck a gray hair, it will grow back as a gray hair.”
In most cases, a plucked gray hair regrows gray because plucking does not reset the follicle’s pigment system. The follicle’s melanocyte status determines the color of the next hair. The statement is slightly overstated because rare repigmentation can happen, and repeated plucking can damage follicles or affect regrowth.
“Stepping into a lit fireplace will result in being burned.”
For an ordinary person, entering an active fireplace would cause thermal injury very quickly. Medical and safety sources agree that open flames, embers, and intensely heated surfaces in a lit fireplace can burn skin within seconds. The exact severity depends on exposure time and protection, but the core claim is supported.
“The prevalence of depression among university students in Lima Norte, Lima, Peru, is higher than the prevalence of depression among university students in other parts of Lima, Peru.”
The claim is not supported by the available evidence. Existing studies show depression among university students in Lima Norte, but no reliable study directly compares Lima Norte with other parts of Lima using the same population, instrument, and time frame. Cross-study comparisons from different universities and methods cannot establish that Lima Norte has a higher prevalence.
“Massaging lemon juice on a scar for about 10 minutes two to three times per week lightens the skin and helps remove old scars.”
The evidence does not support lemon juice as a reliable way to lighten or remove old scars. Research on scars favors other treatments, while studies on AHAs or topical vitamin C involve standardized formulations, not raw lemon juice. Citrus can also irritate skin and cause phototoxic reactions that may worsen discoloration.
“Anemia is one of the most prevalent public health problems in Peru, especially among children under 5 years old.”
The evidence strongly supports the claim’s core message. Official Peruvian data, WHO/PAHO materials, UNICEF, and peer-reviewed studies consistently show anemia is a major public health problem in Peru, with especially high prevalence among young children, often around one-third to over two-fifths in key under-5 age groups. The wording is broad rather than precisely ranked, but not misleading.
“For learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a well-structured educational environment characterized by predictability and smooth transitions is the strongest predictor of both short-term and long-term academic success.”
The evidence supports structured, predictable environments as beneficial for many autistic learners, but not as the strongest predictor of academic success. More rigorous studies point instead to cognitive and developmental factors such as executive functioning, IQ, language, and processing speed, with other influences varying by age and setting. No strong evidence establishes classroom structure and transitions as the top predictor across both short- and long-term outcomes.
“Suggestopedia is an effective teaching method for improving learning outcomes.”
Suggestopedia may help in some language-learning settings, but the evidence does not support a broad claim of effectiveness for improving learning outcomes generally. The main positive meta-analysis is decades old and based on studies with methodological weaknesses. More recent summaries note inconsistent replication, disputed strong claims, and major limits on where the method works well.
“Vitamin K helps vitamin D absorption for bone health.”
The evidence does not show that vitamin K helps the body absorb vitamin D. What reliable sources do support is that vitamins D and K can work together in bone health through different roles: vitamin D helps regulate calcium and induces certain proteins, while vitamin K activates some of those proteins. That makes the claim directionally related to a real interaction, but wrong in its stated mechanism.
“Boron helps with magnesium metabolism in humans.”
Evidence supports a modest effect of boron on how the body handles magnesium, but the evidence base is limited and does not show a broad clinical benefit for everyone. Human studies and NIH-reviewed literature report changes such as higher serum magnesium or lower urinary magnesium loss with boron supplementation. However, these findings come mainly from small, context-specific studies.
“Hantavirus infection can be transmitted from an infected person to other people during the incubation period.”
The claim is not supported by the evidence. Public-health authorities state that person-to-person transmission is mainly associated with Andes virus, not hantaviruses generally, and available evidence points to transmission primarily at or after early symptom onset. At most, a very limited pre-symptomatic window near symptom onset has been discussed, which is not the same as saying transmission occurs during the incubation period broadly.
“A person infected with hantavirus transmits the virus to an average of three other people.”
The evidence does not support an average of three secondary infections per hantavirus case. Public-health agencies state that hantaviruses are usually acquired from rodents, not other people, and documented person-to-person spread is limited to Andes virus and is rare. Reports of 3-4 onward infections describe unusual cluster maxima, not the average infected person.
“Hantavirus is less infectious than SARS-CoV-2 was during the 2019–2020 COVID-19 outbreak.”
The evidence strongly supports the comparison in ordinary public-health terms. SARS-CoV-2 spread efficiently between humans during the 2019-2020 outbreak, while hantavirus infections are usually rodent-to-human and rarely spread person-to-person. Limited Andes virus exceptions do not overturn the broader conclusion.
“Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is transmitted through the exchange of bodily fluids.”
The statement gets the main idea right but overstates the scope. HIV is transmitted through certain infectious body fluids—especially blood, semen, vaginal and rectal fluids, and breast milk—not through all bodily fluids. Transmission also requires the fluid to reach mucous membranes, damaged tissue, or the bloodstream, so the broad wording needs an important qualifier.
“Human immunodeficiency virus attacks the human immune system.”
HIV is correctly described as attacking the human immune system. Major health authorities and peer-reviewed literature show that it primarily infects and damages CD4+ T cells and other immune components, impairing immune defense. Variation in severity, treatment response, or rare nonprogression does not change that core fact.
“The acronym "AIDS" stands for "Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome".”
The standard and formally recognized expansion of AIDS is “Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.” Major public-health and medical authorities, including CDC, WHO, NIH, and NCI, use that exact wording. A few informal educational sources use a paraphrased variant, but that does not change the accepted definition.