Skip to main content

PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Health & medicine fact checks

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

13,672 published reviews in this topic

Neue Osnabrücker ZeitungHealth & medicine

"Die Datenlage erfordert den sofortigen Stopp der Anwendung dieser unnötigen und gesundheitsschädigenden gentechnischen Immunisierungsversuche", behauptet Sucharit Bhakdi mit seinem Verein MWGFD. Die Covid-19-Impfungen seien "experimentell und durch nichts zu rechtfertigen, da völlig sinnlos und riskant".

Publisher’s rating: Die Aussage ist falsch. Die Corona-Impfstoffe sind sicher. Laut Impfdashboard der Bundesregierung sind Corona-Impfungen allein in Deutschland rund 172 Millionen Mal verabreicht worden – weltweit milliardenfach. Höchst selten sind dabei unerwünschte Nebenwirkungen aufgetreten. Impfkomplikationen sind auch nach dem Sicherheitsbericht des Paul-Ehrlich-Instituts sehr unwahrscheinlich. Langzeitfolgen sind nach dem aktuellen wissenschaftlichen Kenntnisstand nicht bekannt. Kaum ein anderer Impfstoff wurde wissenschaftlich in kurzer Zeit so eng begleitet wie die zugelassenen Impfstoffe gegen Covid-19. Auch die Aussage, Covid-19-Impfungen seien „unnötig, durch nichts zu rechtfertigen und völlig sinnlos“, ist falsch. Richtig ist: Die Covid-19-Impfungen sind sinnvoll und haben sehr viele Menschenleben gerettet.

THIP MediaHealth & medicine

Alopecia Areata is just another name for male or female pattern baldness

Publisher’s rating: False

Research from related reporting describes alopecia areata as an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks hair follicles, while describing pattern hair loss in terms of different mechanisms. One excerpt identifies androgenetic alopecia as female pattern balding and characterizes it as genetic hair loss. Another says that DHT-sensitive follicles on the scalp can shrink in response to the hormone, causing male pattern hair loss. These accounts distinguish the conditions rather than treating alopecia areata as another name for male or female pattern baldness.

THIP MediaHealth & medicine

Coffee can cause cancer

Publisher’s rating: Partly False

Research from related reporting addresses a narrower question than whether coffee generally causes cancer: whether drinking very hot beverages, including coffee, or consuming them in large quantities is associated with oesophageal cancer. The report describes an Oxford University study that compared people who drank beverages “very hot” with those who drank them warm, and says the very-hot group had around three times the risk. It also refers to six or more cups a day as a possible risk factor. That evidence concerns a particular cancer and drinking conditions; it does not show that coffee at any temperature or amount causes cancer. The excerpt reports a higher risk, but gives no study details that would establish a causal effect. It also notes that experts considered the overall chances of developing this cancer to be low. Thus, the reporting supports a limited association, not the broad conclusion that coffee generally causes cancer.

FACTLYHealth & medicine

Recent video of a cardiologist suffering a massive heart attack while on duty in Vinayak Hospital in Mumbai

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The claim is that a recent CCTV video shows Dr. Sunitha, described as a cardiologist, suffering a massive heart attack while on duty at Vinayak Hospital in Mumbai. The review identifies the video as showing an older incident at a Vinayak Hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka, rather than a recent event in Mumbai. It reports that heart specialist Dr. Sunitha suffered a massive heart stroke while on duty on 26 November 2017 and died at the hospital. The review describes two checks of the footage’s history. It says the date visible at the top of the CCTV video is 11-26-2017, and that a reverse image search found the same video in a Facebook post dated 14 December 2017. That earlier post described Dr. Sunitha’s death as having occurred at Vinayak Hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka. The review also says other social-media users shared the video with a similar description in December 2017. The location and timing in the claim are therefore contradicted by the evidence the review presents: the footage is from 2017, and the incident it depicts occurred in Bengaluru, not Mumbai. The video’s earlier circulation and the hospital’s account reported to Newsflare further support that identification.

Vishvas NewsHealth & medicine

पोस्ट मध्ये असा दावा करण्यात येत आहे कि डोकेदुखी असल्यास दहा ते बारा बदाम खायला हवे. पोस्ट मध्ये पुढे दावा करण्यात येत आहे कि 10-12 बादाम दोन एस्प्रिन च्या बरोबरीचे आहे.

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

THIP MediaHealth & medicine

Strawberries whiten your teeth without leaving any side effects

Publisher’s rating: missing context

Research from related reporting discusses strawberries as a possible way to whiten teeth, but it does not support the claim that they work without side effects. One article describes a strawberry mixture and attributes surface-stain removal to malic acid in strawberries. The same article cautions that excessive use of natural whitening mixtures can weaken tooth enamel, and recommends limiting use to once or twice a week. That warning concerns the mixtures generally; the excerpt does not establish a strawberry-specific rate or type of harm. [S1] Another article says slightly acidic fruits such as strawberries may help whiten teeth, but qualifies that statement as a possibility and says fruit use should be alongside regular brushing. Neither excerpt presents evidence that strawberry treatments are risk-free, nor do they describe a study measuring whitening results or side effects. The available related reporting therefore gives some support to a possible whitening effect, while leaving the absolute safety claim unsupported. [S6]