10,000 Steps

Can't remember the story

Recent research suggests 7k is fine.

Creatine

There is a belief that taking creatine causes hair loss, based on the results of a single study by van der Merwe et al in 2009, which measured blood DHT levels in a small number of male rugby players.¹. The study's results have not been replicated and no other study on creatine (albeit with different aims) has reported an increase in hair loss.

Related to the above (as DHT is converted from free testosterone) many studies have found creatine supplementation does not increase total or free testosterone.² ³ ⁴

There is also a persistent myth that creatine can cause kidney damage (similar to the same myth around protein). Whilst creatine is degraded (in the form of creatinine in the blood) and excreted in urine via the kidneys, this is a part of their normal function and would not cause an 'overload' or damage in healthy individuals unless taken in extremely high doses.⁵ ⁶ ⁷

HRT

70's Research was wrong but widely reported (around cancer risk)

Knee Over Toes

Supposedly bad for the knees but not bad for you at all. It does stress them, but not beyond their capabilities.

Will make your back squats harder if you try to avoid knees over toes (transfers torque to your hips and amplifies it significantly) which will ultimately increase stress on your lower back, lumbar spine and spinal erectors which may lead to back pain.

Fry AC, Smith JC, Schilling BK. Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):629-33. doi: 10.1519/1533-4287(2003)017<0629:eokpoh>2.0.co;2. PMID: 14636100.

Always keep the knees in line with the feet, don't let them move or 'collapse' inward or outward.

Those with anterior knee pain (at the front of the knees) should limit forward knee travel during squatting.

Rudavsky A, Cook J. Physiotherapy management of patellar tendinopathy (jumper's knee). J Physiother. 2014 Sep;60(3):122-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jphys.2014.06.022. Epub 2014 Aug 3. PMID: 25092419.

Most forward travel to least with different squatting exercises: Front squat > High bar back squat > Low bar back squat > Box squat.

Sugar Rush

There is no such thing as a sugar rush.⁸

There's a Study so it Must be True/Proven

Depends on the quality of the study, the sample size, the type, whether it's been replicated and any potential conflicts of interest.

Vitamin C

Vitamin c probably isn't as beneficial (particularly in high doses) as it's widely believed to be. The current perception of most that high doses are beneficial appears to originate from claims made in a number of books written by double Nobel prize winning American scientist Linus Pauling, written in the 70s.⁹ These claims have not been proven.¹⁰¹¹

Vitamin D

The UK's NHS recommends 400 IU/10micrograms for adults from October to late March/early April as of late 2025.¹³ The British Heart Foundation also recommends this amount.¹⁴ This, despite research conducted 11 and 8 years ago respectively, in 2014 and 2017, that demonstrates that 8000IU is required.¹² ¹³

References

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Last Updated: 2026-05-19