Verdicts
How a single study becomes a myth
The pipeline from a modest finding to a confident health myth is short, well-worn, and easy to spot once you know the stations it passes through.
TBy The Evidence Desk · 19 July 2026 · 5 min read
The pipeline from a modest finding to a confident health myth is short, well-worn, and easy to spot once you know the stations it passes through.
It is one of the most confidently repeated claims in parenting. It is also one of the most thoroughly tested, and the tests do not support it.
The famous rule is everywhere. A clear scientific basis for it is not.