Ivinson Memorial Hospital Dietitians Tackle Five Common Nutrition Myths

Every scroll through social media carries a new warning: this oil will inflame you, that sugar will feed disease, some supplement will fix everything. Registered dietitians Rae Holbrook, Meaghan Henry, and Stephanie Schwartz see the fallout of that noise every day in patient rooms at Ivinson Memorial Hospital on Laramie's east side. "In the age of social media and 24 hours news cycles, we are all subject to nutrition misinformation," they write. "As Registered Dietitians, we hear well-intentioned but misleading nutrition beliefs from patients and families on a regular basis."

To mark National Nutrition Month, an annual education campaign organized by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the three clinicians published a locally focused explainer titled "Five Common Nutrition Myths" through Ivinson's clinical nutrition team. The hospital, a UCHealth affiliate, released the piece on March 17, 2026, addressing misinformation the dietitians describe as both pervasive and consequential, particularly for patients managing serious illness.

The full explainer covers five myths. Research notes provided to this outlet include complete sourced detail on two of them, with the remaining three to be confirmed directly with the hospital's communications office. What follows draws exclusively from the verified text.

Myth #1: Seed Oils Cause Inflammation

Few nutritional claims have spread as aggressively in recent years as the idea that seed oils are toxic. The accusation lands on a familiar list of pantry staples. "Seed oils, like soybean, sunflower, safflower, corn, and canola oil, are often blamed for everything from chronic inflammation to obesity," the dietitians write. The argument typically centers on omega-6 fatty acids, and specifically linoleic acid, which critics claim the body converts into pro-inflammatory compounds.

The clinical evidence does not support that conclusion. "Large systematic reviews and controlled trials consistently show that linoleic acid intake does not increase inflammatory markers in humans and is often associated with better cardiometabolic outcomes," Holbrook, Henry, and Schwartz state in the explainer. They point to a recent systematic review examining seed oils and metabolic health that found improvements in lipid profiles and oxidative stress markers across many studies, a finding indexed on PubMed under reference number 39996006.

The dietitians do not argue that every processed food containing seed oils is nutritionally equivalent. The distinction they draw is between the oils themselves, as studied in controlled conditions, and the broader dietary patterns in which those oils often appear.

On Supplements: Third-Party Testing Matters

Woven into the seed oil discussion is a broader caution about the supplement industry. When patients believe a nutrient is harmful or deficient, they frequently turn to supplements marketed as solutions. Holbrook, Henry, and Schwartz advise that when supplements are genuinely necessary, consumers should choose products that have been independently tested for quality and purity. Third-party certifications, the dietitians explain, "help verify that the product contains what it says it contains, and nothing it shouldn't."

Their "RDN Reality Check" section puts it plainly: "If a supplement sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Before spending money on the latest social-media 'miracle,' talk with a registered dietitian (like us!!) or healthcare provider who can help determine whether a supplement is necessary, safe, and evidence-based."

The specific organizations the dietitians recommend for third-party certification were not fully captured in the published excerpt; the hospital's clinical nutrition team can confirm those names directly.

Myth #5: Sugar Feeds Cancer

The fifth myth carries particular weight because of where the dietitians hear it most often. "This is a common concern that we hear from patients with cancer that can lead to food fears and restriction during the treatment process," the explainer states. The belief that dietary sugar directly fuels tumor growth is both widespread and distressing for patients already navigating the physical and emotional demands of cancer treatment.

The clinical concern the dietitians identify is not abstract. Restricting food during cancer treatment can compromise caloric intake and nutritional status at precisely the moment the body needs resources to tolerate therapy. A patient who avoids carbohydrates out of fear may inadvertently undermine their treatment outcomes. The dietitians' framing acknowledges the fear as understandable while signaling that the science does not support the restriction it produces.

The full scientific rebuttal for this myth, including any specific research citations the authors include, is contained in the complete explainer available through Ivinson Memorial Hospital.

Why Myth-Busting Matters at the Local Level

The three dietitians work with Albany County patients across a range of clinical settings, and the misinformation they encounter is not hypothetical. It arrives with patients from homes on Laramie's west side and from ranching families driving in from Carbon County, shaped by the same viral posts and podcast clips circulating nationally. The explainer's local grounding is deliberate: these are myths the Ivinson team hears not in the abstract but in actual conversations with patients and their families.

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics designates March as National Nutrition Month precisely to create space for this kind of corrective public education. Ivinson's clinical nutrition team used that window to publish guidance calibrated to what their patient population actually believes and fears, rather than a generic national talking-point list.

Myths #2, #3, and #4

The full explainer addresses three additional myths beyond seed oils and the sugar-cancer claim. The complete text, including those sections, was not available in the materials reviewed for this article. Readers can access the full "Five Common Nutrition Myths" explainer through Ivinson Memorial Hospital's patient education resources, and the clinical nutrition team, reachable through the hospital's main line, can answer questions or connect patients with a registered dietitian for individualized guidance.

The work of Holbrook, Henry, and Schwartz reflects a practice that extends well beyond publishing an annual explainer. Registered dietitians at Ivinson are embedded in clinical care, which means myth-correction happens in real time, in hospital rooms where a patient's next meal and their willingness to eat it may both be on the line.