Written by: Chuyin Yang
Edited by: Ingrid Tend
Edited by: Ingrid Tend
It doesn’t take long for one of these posts to pop up. Some advertisement for a miracle weight loss pill; a picture of a shredded guy at the gym who claims to know the secrets to improving physique; a repost by that uncle you haven’t seen in years claiming that a new crash diet is guaranteed to make you stronger, thinner, better.
By now, these posts claiming to be the fountain of youth have become a part of normal internet behavior and are often accepted to be the norm in social media. How harmful are they, really? As it turns out, all of this pseudoscience does take a toll on both the mental and physical health of social media users in the long run.
First is the idea of the miracle drug. These advertisements are everywhere, selling over-the-counter supplements that promise to grant immense strength or stimulate muscle growth or boost weight loss. Not only are these ads meant for the general public often without any medical oversight or input, they will sometimes target the populations most vulnerable to their marketing. An example comes from the world of amateur bodybuilding. Rather than relying on professional medical opinion, many amateur bodybuilders will opt for the information presented to them again and again through the social media influencers they look up to and trust. Of course, this type of marketing is widespread throughout many industries and targets various portions of the population, so bodybuilders are not an exception to this rule. However, they are especially prone to experimentation with new supplements that help gym performance. As a result of taking the unnecessary supplements, though, their physical health suffers (Mathews 2018). As highlighted by a case study published by Biomedical Central, although over supplementation and suboptimal nutrition may not lead to significant adverse health effects in the short term, potential for chronic illness in the long term suggests that the misinformation peddled has unforeseeable outcomes for the future (Guardia et al. 2015).
These types of supplement ads and misinformation do not only affect the bodybuilding population, however, as a steep rise in the entire health and wellness industry signals the rise of self-supplementation in a much larger audience. One market survey estimates that, as of 2020, the supplement industry is worth over $61.2 billion and is predicted to grow to over $125 billion by 2028. One of the biggest contributors to this sudden growth comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, which spiked sales in all areas of the supplement industry, especially among vitamins and minerals (Cohen et al. 2022). However, much of the information spread online during the pandemic about supplementation was faulty. In fact, on YouTube, a survey found that 58% of pop-up videos confused the relationship between COVID-19 and vitamin D, and a whopping 85% of them stated that taking vitamin D has curative or preventative qualities against contracting COVID-19, a stance not at all supported by the wider scientific literature (Quinn and Fenton 2022).
Of course, this is all assuming that the supplements taken are free of any impurities. According to one study of 121 natural health products, up to 5% were found to exceed the safe daily consumption limit for arsenic, and another study testing the microbial content of 138 different products found all contained bacteria (Genuis et al. 2012). This is all due to the severe lack of government oversight of the entire supplement industry. While the FDA is able to tightly control the safety of over-the-counter medications, there is almost no governmental regulation over the amount of harmful contaminants or even the amount of the active ingredient found inside the supplement itself. In fact, the FDA relies on a voluntary self-reporting system by the companies themselves; a report showed that less than 1% of all safety issues encountered by the supplement industry is actually reported to the FDA (Starr 2015). With a lack of both data and any real effort to regulate the industry on the part of the government, for these supplement companies, then, what is stopping them from their continued negligence of quality control?
In the world where social media influencer misinformation is so rampant, those who regularly consume the type of media that peddles supplement misinformation are also at high risk for the development of eating disorders. A quick search of the word “health” on Instagram will generate dozens of “nutritional advice” posts that are not only unscientific but are also blatantly promoting disordered eating behaviors. For example, an infographic showing a larger body is labeled “with white rice,” and a smaller body right next to it is captioned “with brown rice.” Not only is this post’s implication that brown rice causes weight loss incorrect, but the demonization of foods like white rice is an indicator of emerging disordered eating behaviors.
The dangers of developing disordered eating patterns are many. First, though, what constitutes an eating disorder? The most widely known are anorexia nervosa, the excessive restriction of food, and bulimia nervosa, the purging of food after binging. These disorders lead to a whole host of health issues. Those struggling with these disorders may experience complications linked to amenorrhea, the cessation of menstrual cycles. Consequences include loss of fertility, decreased bone density, and early menopause. Additionally, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia have high comorbidity with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety (Parekh 2021). Other than these disorders, the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa, the obsession with eating what is perceived to be “healthy,” is also quite high in the young adult population. Indeed, the literature about the correlation between adolescents who spend more time on social media and those who develop these types of eating disorders is staggering. Studies show that, in young adults, more time spent on social media sites like Instagram leads to much higher prevalence of eating disorders than in the general public (Turner and Lefevere 2017).
The reason behind the spike in eating disorder prevalence among social media users is simple. On Instagram alone, hundreds of accounts with thousands of followers apiece share preposterous “diet hacks.” Some of the information deals with unscientific but otherwise relatively harmless wellness advice, such as how misaligned jaws have the potential of harming posture, or how drinking alkaline water can help reduce inflammation. However, there are several that share information that are much more harmful. According to a list compiled by Men’s Health magazine, the advice shared on Facebook even includes explicit statements that lemon peels are more effective in treating cancer than chemotherapy (Englert 2018). The repercussions of such misinformation are quite obvious.
With everything from the dangers of over supplementation and self-medication to the increased prevalence of eating disorders, the risks associated with ad- and influencer-spread misinformation are clear. In the former, it should be the role of the federal government to finally regulate the burgeoning supplement industry before more havoc is wreaked on the athletes and millions of other Americans who take supplements everyday. Additionally, it should be up to the social media companies themselves to reckon with the dangerous spread of medical misinformation on their platforms. Something must change before social media influencers become the replacements for actual trained medical professionals.
References
Analysis: Some natural supplements can be dangerously contaminated. 2020 Feb 19. PBS NewsHour. Available from: www.pbs.org/newshour/health/analysis-some-natural-supplements-can-be dangerously-contaminated.
Cohen PA, Avorn J, Kesselheim AS 2022. Institutionalizing Misinformation–The Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022. New England Journal of Medicine. 387(1):2-5. Available from: doi: 10.1056/nejmp2205675.
Della Guardia L, Cavallaro M, Cena H. 2015. The risks of self-made diets: the case of an amateur bodybuilder. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 12(1). Available from: doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0077-8.
Englert BR. 2018 Jan 31. The 10 Worst Pieces of Nutrition Advice You’ve Seen on Facebook. Men’s Health. Available from: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g19547019/nutrition myths-debunked-facebook/?slide=8.
Fisher M, Golden NH, Katzman DK, Kreipe RE, Rees J, Schebendach J, Sigman G, Ammerman S, Hoberman HM. 1995. Eating disorders in adolescents: A background paper. Journal of Adolescent Health. 16(6):420–437.
Available from: doi:10.1016/1054-139x(95)00069-5.
Fortune Business Insights. (2020). Dietary Supplements Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, Fatty Acids, Proteins, and Others), Form (Tablets, Capsules, Liquids, and Powders), and Regional Forecasts, 2021-2028. Available from: www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/dietary-supplements-market-102082.
Genuis S.J., Schwalfenberg G, Siy A-KJ, Rodushkin I. 2012. Toxic Element Contamination of Natural Health Products and Pharmaceutical Preparations. PLoS ONE. 7(11):e49676. Available from: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049676.
Mathews NM. 2017. Prohibited Contaminants in Dietary Supplements. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 10(1):19–30. Available from: doi:10.1177/1941738117727736.
Morris AM, Katzman DK. 2003. The Impact of the Media on Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Paediatrics & child health. 8(5):287–9. Available from: doi:10.1093/pch/8.5.287.
Parekh R. 2021. What Are Eating Disorders? Psychiatry.org [Internet]. Available from: https://www.psychiatry.org /patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders
Quinn EK, Fenton S, Ford-Sahidzada CA, Harper A, Marcon AR, Caulfield T, Fazel SS, Peters CE. 2021 Jul 28. COVID-19 and Vitamin D Misinformation on YouTube: A Content Analysis (Preprint). JMIR Infodemiology. Available from: doi:10.2196/32452.
Starr RR. 2015. Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Regulation of Dietary Supplements in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. 105(3):478–485. Available from: doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302348.
Tournas VH. 2009. Microbial Contamination of Select Dietary Supplements. Journal of Food Safety. 29(3):430–442. Available from: doi:10.1111/j.1745-4565.2009.00167.x.
Turner PG & Lefevere CE. 2017 June 1. Instagram Use Is Linked to Increased Symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa. Pubmed. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s40519-017-0364-2
By now, these posts claiming to be the fountain of youth have become a part of normal internet behavior and are often accepted to be the norm in social media. How harmful are they, really? As it turns out, all of this pseudoscience does take a toll on both the mental and physical health of social media users in the long run.
First is the idea of the miracle drug. These advertisements are everywhere, selling over-the-counter supplements that promise to grant immense strength or stimulate muscle growth or boost weight loss. Not only are these ads meant for the general public often without any medical oversight or input, they will sometimes target the populations most vulnerable to their marketing. An example comes from the world of amateur bodybuilding. Rather than relying on professional medical opinion, many amateur bodybuilders will opt for the information presented to them again and again through the social media influencers they look up to and trust. Of course, this type of marketing is widespread throughout many industries and targets various portions of the population, so bodybuilders are not an exception to this rule. However, they are especially prone to experimentation with new supplements that help gym performance. As a result of taking the unnecessary supplements, though, their physical health suffers (Mathews 2018). As highlighted by a case study published by Biomedical Central, although over supplementation and suboptimal nutrition may not lead to significant adverse health effects in the short term, potential for chronic illness in the long term suggests that the misinformation peddled has unforeseeable outcomes for the future (Guardia et al. 2015).
These types of supplement ads and misinformation do not only affect the bodybuilding population, however, as a steep rise in the entire health and wellness industry signals the rise of self-supplementation in a much larger audience. One market survey estimates that, as of 2020, the supplement industry is worth over $61.2 billion and is predicted to grow to over $125 billion by 2028. One of the biggest contributors to this sudden growth comes from the COVID-19 pandemic, which spiked sales in all areas of the supplement industry, especially among vitamins and minerals (Cohen et al. 2022). However, much of the information spread online during the pandemic about supplementation was faulty. In fact, on YouTube, a survey found that 58% of pop-up videos confused the relationship between COVID-19 and vitamin D, and a whopping 85% of them stated that taking vitamin D has curative or preventative qualities against contracting COVID-19, a stance not at all supported by the wider scientific literature (Quinn and Fenton 2022).
Of course, this is all assuming that the supplements taken are free of any impurities. According to one study of 121 natural health products, up to 5% were found to exceed the safe daily consumption limit for arsenic, and another study testing the microbial content of 138 different products found all contained bacteria (Genuis et al. 2012). This is all due to the severe lack of government oversight of the entire supplement industry. While the FDA is able to tightly control the safety of over-the-counter medications, there is almost no governmental regulation over the amount of harmful contaminants or even the amount of the active ingredient found inside the supplement itself. In fact, the FDA relies on a voluntary self-reporting system by the companies themselves; a report showed that less than 1% of all safety issues encountered by the supplement industry is actually reported to the FDA (Starr 2015). With a lack of both data and any real effort to regulate the industry on the part of the government, for these supplement companies, then, what is stopping them from their continued negligence of quality control?
In the world where social media influencer misinformation is so rampant, those who regularly consume the type of media that peddles supplement misinformation are also at high risk for the development of eating disorders. A quick search of the word “health” on Instagram will generate dozens of “nutritional advice” posts that are not only unscientific but are also blatantly promoting disordered eating behaviors. For example, an infographic showing a larger body is labeled “with white rice,” and a smaller body right next to it is captioned “with brown rice.” Not only is this post’s implication that brown rice causes weight loss incorrect, but the demonization of foods like white rice is an indicator of emerging disordered eating behaviors.
The dangers of developing disordered eating patterns are many. First, though, what constitutes an eating disorder? The most widely known are anorexia nervosa, the excessive restriction of food, and bulimia nervosa, the purging of food after binging. These disorders lead to a whole host of health issues. Those struggling with these disorders may experience complications linked to amenorrhea, the cessation of menstrual cycles. Consequences include loss of fertility, decreased bone density, and early menopause. Additionally, eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia have high comorbidity with mental illnesses like depression and anxiety (Parekh 2021). Other than these disorders, the prevalence of orthorexia nervosa, the obsession with eating what is perceived to be “healthy,” is also quite high in the young adult population. Indeed, the literature about the correlation between adolescents who spend more time on social media and those who develop these types of eating disorders is staggering. Studies show that, in young adults, more time spent on social media sites like Instagram leads to much higher prevalence of eating disorders than in the general public (Turner and Lefevere 2017).
The reason behind the spike in eating disorder prevalence among social media users is simple. On Instagram alone, hundreds of accounts with thousands of followers apiece share preposterous “diet hacks.” Some of the information deals with unscientific but otherwise relatively harmless wellness advice, such as how misaligned jaws have the potential of harming posture, or how drinking alkaline water can help reduce inflammation. However, there are several that share information that are much more harmful. According to a list compiled by Men’s Health magazine, the advice shared on Facebook even includes explicit statements that lemon peels are more effective in treating cancer than chemotherapy (Englert 2018). The repercussions of such misinformation are quite obvious.
With everything from the dangers of over supplementation and self-medication to the increased prevalence of eating disorders, the risks associated with ad- and influencer-spread misinformation are clear. In the former, it should be the role of the federal government to finally regulate the burgeoning supplement industry before more havoc is wreaked on the athletes and millions of other Americans who take supplements everyday. Additionally, it should be up to the social media companies themselves to reckon with the dangerous spread of medical misinformation on their platforms. Something must change before social media influencers become the replacements for actual trained medical professionals.
References
Analysis: Some natural supplements can be dangerously contaminated. 2020 Feb 19. PBS NewsHour. Available from: www.pbs.org/newshour/health/analysis-some-natural-supplements-can-be dangerously-contaminated.
Cohen PA, Avorn J, Kesselheim AS 2022. Institutionalizing Misinformation–The Dietary Supplement Listing Act of 2022. New England Journal of Medicine. 387(1):2-5. Available from: doi: 10.1056/nejmp2205675.
Della Guardia L, Cavallaro M, Cena H. 2015. The risks of self-made diets: the case of an amateur bodybuilder. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition. 12(1). Available from: doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0077-8.
Englert BR. 2018 Jan 31. The 10 Worst Pieces of Nutrition Advice You’ve Seen on Facebook. Men’s Health. Available from: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/g19547019/nutrition myths-debunked-facebook/?slide=8.
Fisher M, Golden NH, Katzman DK, Kreipe RE, Rees J, Schebendach J, Sigman G, Ammerman S, Hoberman HM. 1995. Eating disorders in adolescents: A background paper. Journal of Adolescent Health. 16(6):420–437.
Available from: doi:10.1016/1054-139x(95)00069-5.
Fortune Business Insights. (2020). Dietary Supplements Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Vitamins, Minerals, Enzymes, Fatty Acids, Proteins, and Others), Form (Tablets, Capsules, Liquids, and Powders), and Regional Forecasts, 2021-2028. Available from: www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/dietary-supplements-market-102082.
Genuis S.J., Schwalfenberg G, Siy A-KJ, Rodushkin I. 2012. Toxic Element Contamination of Natural Health Products and Pharmaceutical Preparations. PLoS ONE. 7(11):e49676. Available from: doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049676.
Mathews NM. 2017. Prohibited Contaminants in Dietary Supplements. Sports Health: A Multidisciplinary Approach. 10(1):19–30. Available from: doi:10.1177/1941738117727736.
Morris AM, Katzman DK. 2003. The Impact of the Media on Eating Disorders in Children and Adolescents. Paediatrics & child health. 8(5):287–9. Available from: doi:10.1093/pch/8.5.287.
Parekh R. 2021. What Are Eating Disorders? Psychiatry.org [Internet]. Available from: https://www.psychiatry.org /patients-families/eating-disorders/what-are-eating-disorders
Quinn EK, Fenton S, Ford-Sahidzada CA, Harper A, Marcon AR, Caulfield T, Fazel SS, Peters CE. 2021 Jul 28. COVID-19 and Vitamin D Misinformation on YouTube: A Content Analysis (Preprint). JMIR Infodemiology. Available from: doi:10.2196/32452.
Starr RR. 2015. Too Little, Too Late: Ineffective Regulation of Dietary Supplements in the United States. American Journal of Public Health. 105(3):478–485. Available from: doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302348.
Tournas VH. 2009. Microbial Contamination of Select Dietary Supplements. Journal of Food Safety. 29(3):430–442. Available from: doi:10.1111/j.1745-4565.2009.00167.x.
Turner PG & Lefevere CE. 2017 June 1. Instagram Use Is Linked to Increased Symptoms of Orthorexia Nervosa. Pubmed. Available from: doi: 10.1007/s40519-017-0364-2
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