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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Health & medicine fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about health & medicine. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

13,667 published reviews in this topic

Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpaHealth & medicine

Wenn der PLU-Code einer Frucht vier Ziffern hat und mit 3 oder 4 beginnt, ist sie mit Pestiziden besprüht und muss vor dem Verzehr mit Natron gewaschen werden. Fünfstellige Codes, die mit einer 8 beginnen, weisen auf gentechnisch veränderte Lebensmittel hin.

Publisher’s rating: PLU-Codes geben Supermarktkundinnen und -kunden keine wichtigen Hinweise, die sie nicht schon an anderen Stellen ablesen können. Produkte aus biologischem Anbau haben Nummern zwischen 84000 und 84999 sowie zwischen 93000 und 94999. Lebensmittel aus konventioneller Landwirtschaft müssen zuhause nicht mit Natron behandelt werden.

The claim links PLU stickers on loose supermarket produce to two supposed warnings: four-digit codes beginning with 3 or 4 mean the produce was treated with pesticides, and five-digit codes beginning with 8 mean it is genetically modified. It also says the conventionally grown produce should be washed with baking soda. The review examined those specific assertions, including what the code ranges are used for and whether baking soda is necessary. The review describes PLU codes as product identifiers assigned by the International Federation for Produce Standards (IFPS). It says four-digit codes designate conventionally grown products, while adding a 9 to a conventional product’s code creates a five-digit code for organic produce. Codes beginning with 8 do not identify genetically modified food: the IFPS had considered that prefix for this purpose, but the review says it was never used in retail. The review also notes that, according to Germany’s Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety, no genetically modified fruit or vegetable varieties were authorized or under application in the EU at the time covered. The pesticide and washing claims are not supported by the review’s account. It cites food expert Harald Seitz of the Federal Centre for Nutrition saying conventionally grown produce does not have to be washed with baking soda. Although US studies found that baking-soda solution removed pesticide residues effectively, the produce had to be soaked for 15 minutes; warm water removed most of what adhered to it. The review adds that EU rules set limits for pesticide residues and require imported produce to meet the same health standards as EU products.

日本ファクトチェックセンターHealth & medicine

安倍元首相、160万回分のコロナワクチンを返送し国民にイベルメクチンを投与

Publisher’s rating: 誤り

The review says Abe neither returned COVID-19 vaccine doses nor administered ivermectin, and notes that he left office before Japan began vaccinations. It explains that the roughly 1.6 million Moderna doses were held back after contamination concerns and recalled by the company, not returned by Abe.

El Detector / Univision NoticiasHealth & medicine

César Lozano promueve este producto que promete aliviar las hemorroides tras “una sola aplicación".

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim concerns a Facebook video that uses César Lozano’s image and voice to promote a purported hemorrhoid remedy, promising relief after “una sola aplicación.” The review says the video had more than 635,000 views and that the account’s advertising campaign had circulated since December 8, 2023. It distinguishes what the advertisement depicted from whether Lozano actually endorsed the product: “En el audio se escucha que el producto ayudaría a eliminar ‘las hemorroides en una sola aplicación’.” The investigators compared Lozano’s appearance in the clip with his official Instagram and Facebook accounts, noting the same white shirt and pose. They also searched Google for the presenter and product, then contacted his team about the video’s authenticity. Lozano’s producer, Joel Garza Saldaña, denied an endorsement or partnership: “No tenemos ninguna alianza con ellos”. He also said the voice was AI-generated: “están usando la inteligencia artificial con la voz del doctor”. The review further reports that the website linked to the post was about software, not health, and that it found no information about the supposed product on the Instagram account linked to the Facebook profile. Taken together, the producer’s direct denial and the reported use of AI address the central issue: the video’s apparent endorsement did not establish that Lozano promoted the product. The review concludes that he did not promote the remedy shown in the advertisement.

LupaHealth & medicine

MORTE PROGRAMADA... Essa é a esposa do nosso amigo e guerreiro, Ex Deputado Roberto Jeferson. Ela a família e amigos, através de seus advogados, imploram há meses para que o “Ministro Alexandre de Moraes”, autorize a sua transferência para um hospital particular (Ele tem plano de saúde) do Rio de Janeiro... Ele encontra-se internado há meses em uma UPA, que é administrada pela Prefeitura através de OS-Organização Social e o atendimento é “Literalmente Precário

Publisher’s rating: Rating unavailable

Medical DialoguesHealth & medicine

Can Betel leaves cure bronchitis?

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The review addresses a social-media post that lists several purported benefits of betel leaves, including the specific claim that they can cure bronchitis. It distinguishes traditional uses and possible effects from evidence that a leaf can cure the illness: the review notes that betel leaf extracts and compounds have been studied for various properties, and that traditional practice has used betel leaves for coughs and other ailments. Those points, however, do not establish a cure for bronchitis. To assess the cure claim, the review describes bronchitis as inflammation of the bronchial tubes and distinguishes acute bronchitis, often associated with infection, from chronic bronchitis, which involves persistent inflammation and mucus production. It also reports a chest specialist’s account of common causes and chronic-bronchitis risk factors, including viral infections, smoking, and exposure to irritants. This clinical context matters because the claim concerns curing a respiratory condition with different causes and forms, not merely whether a plant has any biological activity. The decisive evidence presented is the review’s finding that there is no scientific evidence or medical consensus supporting betel leaf as a cure. It considers studies and traditional-use reports that mention bronchitis, asthma, or coughs, but those reports describe use or potential properties rather than demonstrating that betel leaf cures bronchitis. A pulmonologist quoted in the review likewise says that any possible relief from inflammation or symptoms should not be treated as a cure, and describes management in terms of avoiding irritants and, where appropriate, medical treatment. The review’s conclusion is therefore about the unsupported cure claim; it does not deny that betel leaf may have studied properties or traditional uses.

dpaHealth & medicine

Diese Fotos zeigen unhygienische Zustände bei der Produktion von Tiefkühlpizza in Deutschland.

Publisher’s rating: Es handelt sich um Fotos aus einem Betrieb in Frankreich. Die Fotos tauchten erstmals im Jahr 2021 auf und sollen einem Medienbericht zufolge 2020 von einem Mitarbeiter aufgenommen worden sein. Der Betrieb ist inzwischen geschlossen worden.

The images show genuinely unhygienic conditions during food production, but the review identifies the facility as a factory in Caudry, in northern France—not a German frozen-pizza plant. The video circulated on social media with narration referring to a German production line and images of packaging from a German food brand. The review says the images themselves do not establish that connection: the photos came from France, and no link between the German-branded pizzas shown and the French food-safety scandal was known. The review traces the photos to a blog post first published in May 2021, which described allegations involving Nestlé and said the images were from its Caudry factory. It also reports that France 2 revisited the images in October 2022. According to that broadcaster, an employee had taken them in late 2020 and described unhygienic conditions at the facility, saying complaints to supervisors had not changed them. Thus, the images support concerns about conditions at the French site, but not the claim that they depict production in Germany. The relevant French scandal concerned Nestlé pizzas suspected of contamination with E. coli. The review reports that Nestlé recalled products after reports of dozens of serious illnesses and that two children’s deaths from kidney failure were linked to contaminated pizzas. Nestlé announced in March 2023 that the Caudry facility would close; the review notes later reports in November of a possible reopening. It also states that the German-brand products shown in the circulated videos were, according to product information, made in Germany and Italy—distinct from the French facility depicted.