World Health Organization has not issued the list of seven biggest brain-damaging habits 

World Health Organization has not issued the messages being spread in the name of brain-damaging habits. These false messages circulated in WHO’s name have nothing to do with the organisation.

An image is circulating on social media platforms with an alleged list by the World Health Organization (WHO) about causes of brain damage. The image reads, “7 Biggest brain damaging habits: missing breakfast, sleeping late, high sugar consumption, more sleeping specially at morning, eating meal while watching TV or computer, wearing cap or sock/scarf while sleeping, and habit of blocking/stopping urine. Don’t just ReadForward to whom you careAs I care for U.” 

The image includes the WHO logo. 

However, Fact Crescendo found that the viral image is false and not released by WHO.

Fact Check-

First, we checked whether WHO had officially published the above graphic or any of its content as the biggest causes for brain damage. While WHO along with other health authorities had advised on negative impacts of some of the listed activities we didn’t not find any specific reference to such a list or graphic attributed to WHO.

We have contacted WHO’s Southeast Asia Communications Officer, Shamila Sharma, to find out what she had to say about the campaign. Shamila clarified that the message is completely baseless and the message being circulated has nothing to do with the World Health Organization. So it is clear that the message given in this poster is not issued by WHO. 

Next we thought of looking at each of the points listed in the viral poster and available research and expert views on these topics towards brain activity and brain damage.

Missing Breakfast

While there is limited research on brain activity and skipping breakfast, experts do not encourage skipping breakfast, the most important meal of the day.

According to a study published in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there is no direct link between skipping breakfast and brain damage, although eating breakfast can help curb hunger. Skipping breakfast can lead to weight gain and other harmful changes over time. Sometimes it may cause diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Sleeping Late 

According to Harvard Medical School’s Blog, too much sleep and too little sleep are not good; they can lead to memory problems. An average of seven hours of sleep helps maintain memory. Additionally, sleep problems have been linked to heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and depression.

 High Sugar Consumption

According to the recommendations of the WHO, we need 25 grams of sugar per day in our diet. There are studies showing how too much sugar can lead to cognitive dysfunction, anxiety, and insulin resistance.

More sleeping specially at morning

There is no direct correlation between waking up late in the morning and brain damage. However, napping during the day can lead to insufficient sleep at night. When one does not sleep at night, the body and brain miss out on the natural healing and recovery processes. A habit of waking up late can gradually lead to irregular sleeping patterns. According to a study power naps of 10-15 minutes have proven to boost an individual’s productivity and mood.

Eating Meal while watching TV or computer

As per a report by Harvard Medical School, distracted eating can lead to overeating and not being able to enjoy the taste of food. But no link has been found between brain function and binge eating.

Wearing a cap or socks while sleeping

Generally people in colder countries sleep with socks on, According to one study, keeping feet warm while sleeping with bed socks can help you fall asleep faster. It helps the body to maintain adequate rest while sleeping. This can improve the quality of sleep. It has proven beneficial in colder countries. There is no research to show sleeping with socks on leads to cognitive decay

Habit of blocking /stoppingUrine

While there is no evidence of direct brain damage, holding urine is not an advisable habit and could lead to weakening of the bladder muscles. It can also interfere with kidney functionality and an article about this can be read from here. 

Conclusion-

Fact Crescendo discovered that the World Health Organization has not issued the messages being spread in the name of brain-damaging habits. These false messages circulated in WHO’s name have nothing to do with the organisation. There are no studies yet that prove that the seven habits in the viral message cause brain damage. But any habit, if left unchecked, can lead to many diseases or life-threatening consequences.