History's weirdest weight loss fads, fact-checked

Weight loss lessons from 'The Biggest Loser' contestants

This article dives into findings from studies conducted on contestants of "The Biggest Loser" that look at the correlation between weight loss, weight gain, metabolism, and physical activity. The studies support the theory of metabolic adaptation,...

Explore the complex relationship between calories and weight

What if you found out that weight loss is actually much more complex than "calories in, calories out" and that the 2,000 calorie-a-day recommendation may not actually be accurate?

Debunking myths about weight loss drugs

Business Insider delves into the research on GLP-1 to highlight the good and bad aspects other stories overlook. Few make it clear that GLP-1 drugs simply don’t work for many people. This deep dive raises a number of questions about the future of GLP-1 and how they will be used.

Interest in intermittent fasting outpaces the science

The public interest in fasting diets has outpaced the science behind related health claims. This article details how the science of fasting diets is mainly exploratory and focused on longevity and disease prevention. Current findings suggest fasting kick-starts regenerative processes in the body, decreases inflammation, and improves health outcomes overall. However, much of this research focuses on the short-term impact of fasting.

Can we speed up our metabolisms?

Listen to this 31-minute podcast to better understand what science knows and doesn't know about metabolism, as well as the only thing that seems capable of changing it. Scientists understand that the difference between a so-called “fast” and “slow” metabolism does not affect one’s ability to lose weight.

Artificial sweeteners aren't very helpful for weight loss

Research published in 2014 from a randomized controlled study found that, on average, people only lost about two pounds if they switched to consuming artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Some individuals using artificial sweeteners also have gained weight. Scientists theorize one potential explanation for this is that the sweeteners alter gut microbiomes in ways that reduce beneficial flora that would help promote digestion.

Health food broke into the mainstream by the 1980s

A 1984 New York Times story noted that Americans were eating less red meat than a decade prior, and that, in general, the country was “talking, thinking and worrying about what they eat to a degree unique in the nation's history.” The feature then details foods that were then considered bizarre: whole-grain muffins, hummus, and a variety of vegetarian dishes. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

Anorexia as religion: from the Middle Ages to modern message boards

Humanity's interest in anorexia nervosa can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the rise of "fasting girls." This article explores the history of the eating disorder as a religion. The first recorded anorexics appeared during the 13th century...

Bad Ancient: a site to fact-check claims about the ancient world

Peruse popular questions about ancient Rome, Egypt, Greece, and more, from whether Greek boxers were ripped or to what extent Alexander the Great conquered the world.

A 15th-century university student documented a surprisingly detailed fitness plan

Modern fitness stems from the revolution in the knowledge we have of the human body, its cardiovascular systems, how muscles work, and more. Nonetheless, people through the centuries have had fitness regimes—including one university student whose fitness plan was preserved in an obscure document found between a manuscript.

The story of the 1945 Minnesota Starvation Experiment

Amid the severe conditions of World War II, researchers were eager to learn the effects of starvation in a controlled study. This podcast dives into a yearlong study of 36 men at a Minneapolis college who endured a six-month period of semi-starvation, where their caloric intake was halved. Results from the experiment became a landmark study in human starvation.

Who is wellness scammer Belle Gibson?

A new Netflix drama series called “Apple Cider Vinegar” tells a story inspired by the real-life scandal of Belle Gibson. Gibson falsely claimed to have healed herself of terminal brain cancer through healthy eating. She built a successful wellness empire without any medical background until journalists eventually found inaccuracies in her story. Discover more about the woman who founded a business on deception, how she got caught, and where she is now.

At the beginning of the 20th century, a group of young men ate standard American food—replete with food additives like borax and formaldehyde—as part of government research to better understand food safety.

Deepfake videos impersonating real doctors are spreading false medical advice

More than 100 videos, found primarily on Instagram and TikTok in August 2025, promoted products related to beauty, wellness and weight loss. While TikTok removed 94% of content violating its policies on AI-generated content, these deepfakes were watched and shared before removal, undermining public trust in medicine.

What ghosts eat around the world

This Thrillist article compiles a rich assortment of cultural beliefs and practices surrounding food for the dead. From Bengali folklore to Ancient Greek mythology, peruse through the different ways in which cultures around the world use food to maintain connected to the deceased.

On the benefits of 'fart walks'

Walking has proven benefits for flatulence by kickstarting the process of peristalsis in the bowels and facilitating easier farts and burps. The timely exercise is also correlated with weight loss (as well as potentially reduced opportunities for social embarrassment).

History finds of 2021

The year’s most exciting discoveries include a Viking “piggy bank,” a lost Native American settlement and a secret passageway hidden behind a bookshelf

Michael Sveda discovered cyclamate by accident

When this lab researcher brought his hands to his lips to smoke his cigarette in 1937, he tasted something sweet, which he called cyclamate. It was quickly used in diet sodas, but it was banned from the US in 1969 after being linked to rodent bladder cancer in lab experiments.

A deep dive into the lives of Guinness World Record addicts

Most people don't hold any world records. Then, there's this group of adventurers, who are racing to own the most. A look at the ambitious world record pursuers racking up hundreds of accomplishments.

How winemaking has changed throughout history

Winemaking is an ancient practice, and researchers continue to find evidence that this ritual came even earlier than previously estimated. This article outlines five key turning points in wine’s history, from the fermentation of fruit by our primate ancestors to today’s increasingly popular “New World” wine. Discover the fascinating scientific and cultural factors that led to wine’s changes in flavor and increased symbolic importance.

The Hungarian countess rumored to have bathed in blood

According to legend, Hungarian countess Elizabeth Báthory killed up to 600 women to bathe in their blood and preserve her youth. Such allegations have been challenged since the 1980s when Slovakian archivist Josef Kocis published a book detailing new aspects of Báthory's life and included possible evidence of a conspiracy meant to undermine her power as part of Transylvania's ruling dynasty.

There are lots of weird ideas about dinosaur extinction, like hungry, hungry caterpillars

One of the great historical puzzles is this: why did the dinosaurs go extinct? Whether an asteroid, poison plants, volcanos and climate change, or something else, it's still a mystery. Scientists have been debating this question for almost a hundred years. One insect scholar suggests that caterpillars are the culprits.

A list of five scientific theories that were accepted and later disproved

Humoral theory held that everyone's personality derived from different combinations of four bodily fluids: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. The phlogiston theory stated that all combustible materials possessed a fire element—phlogiston—that was released and absorbed by the air during burning. When the air became saturated with phlogiston, the fire would go out.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain health conditions

Early clinical trial research suggests that the parasites trigger the production of specific proteins that quiet our immune systems. This keeps the parasites from being killed, but it also quiets the inflammatory response that underpins allergies, type 2 diabetes, celiac disease, and other autoimmune conditions. Researchers still caution that infection with too many hookworms can cause serious medical complications and that this is not a standardized or approved medical treatment.

Read the 1963 study testing out an ancient Egyptian pregnancy urine test

The study sought to test out the ancient Egyptian approach of having a woman urinate on barley and wheat seeds to ascertain pregnancy status. Surprisingly, the research concluded that pregnant women's urine did promote growth of cereal grains the majority of the time; nonpregnant women's urine did not. Unfortunately, the sex of the child could not be accurately predicted based on which crop grew.

British beard history, 101

The beard has gone in and out of fashion for centuries in Britain. It was hated in the 18th century but became a must in the 19th. This quick list rehashes 15 fascinating tidbits about the beard, including possible useful functions for them (a beard is equivalent to an SPF 21 sunscreen) and how barbers were often also surgeons.

Hookworm infection, though risky, may help fight certain autoimmune conditions by tamping down the immune system's inflammatory response.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

Many legends about George Washington, including his supposed wooden teeth and the story of cutting down the cherry tree, lack evidence.

Telehealth demand for GLP-1s for weight loss is booming as consumers seek easier access.

How the most famous Ebola book, The Hot Zone, which sold 3.5 million copies and was translated into 30 languages, got aspects of the disease so wrong.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Larger animals like giraffes, elephants, and blue whales have developed a unique defense against cancer, a phenomenon known as Peto's Paradox

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Double world record holder Hunter Ewen helped conquer his fear of balloons, called globophobia, by training to win Guinness World Record titles for balloon inflation.

Clever Hans was a 1900s horse that was believed to be able to solve math equations, tell time, and read and comprehend German, until a psychology student discovered how he got his answers.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

Stanford built a Google Maps for the Roman Empire, revealing how much it cost to travel in the ancient world

As of 2025, the most cited papers in science include a review of graphene, methods to improve image recognition, streamlining electron density calculations, and optimizing protein studies.

View the ten deadliest tornadoes in US history.

Volcanic activity may have triggered the Black Death by spewing gases that led to crop failures in Europe, thus forcing the import of grain ships with plague-infested fleas.

In 1984, Operation Smash Hit intentionally crashed a 239-ton train into a nuclear waste canister at 100 miles per hour to prove the canister's safety, which remained completely intact and lost just 0.29 of its 100 pounds of pressure.

US intelligence allegedly pursued more than 600 schemes to assassinate Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Hear about the 250-year history of the United States Postal Service, complete with some of its strangest deliveries, important innovations, and the figures that made it an American institution.

Exploring the Larry Bird punch that almost changed March Madness

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

A 2019 Facebook event called on attendees to "Storm Area 51, They Can't Stop All of Us," resulting in countless memes, the creation of a music festival, and eventually the arrests of those who did try to approach the area.

The boiling temperature of water decreases with increasing elevation because the molecules need less energy to overcome the lower atmospheric pressure associated with thinner air.