Caution Urged as Study Reveals Unreliable Nutrition Advice on TikTok

In an era where social media plays an integral role in shaping health and wellness trends, a new study released by global nutrition and food tracking app MyFitnessPal sheds light on the precarious influence of dietary trends circulating on platforms like TikTok. The study uncovers alarming statistics about the impact of viral TikTok nutrition trends among Millennials and Gen Z, prompting a call for improved digital health literacy and expert guidance in interpreting online health information.

It has come to light that an overwhelming 87% of young TikTok users are turning to the social media platform for nutrition and health advice, with 57% admitting to being swayed or adopting these trendy, yet often unsubstantiated, dietary regimes. According to MyFitnessPal's survey placed among 2,000 young adults across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, a significant proportion—67%—report regularly trying out at least one trend they encounter on TikTok each week.

Popular yet controversial diets like detoxing, fat-burning foods, liquid cleanses, and even the risky act of consuming chlorophyll water have gained momentum among viewers. However, the lack of reliable scientific backing for such fads presents potential hazards, highlighted by the 31% of survey respondents who have experienced adverse effects from such experiments.

To grasp the scale of misinformation on TikTok, MyFitnessPal joined forces with Dublin City University for a study employing Artificial Intelligence. Analysis of over 67,000 videos against public health and nutrition guidelines revealed a startling discovery—only a minuscule 2.1% of the scrutinized content aligned accurately with established guidelines, leaving a large margin of potentially misleading information.

The silver lining of the findings is Gen Z's preference for trusting guidance from qualified Registered Dietitans over that from non-expert influencers. Recognizing the critical role of licensed professionals in disseminating valid information is a step forward in battling widespread inaccuracies.

Aligning with their commitment to improving health education, MyFitnessPal and Dublin City University have crafted a checklist and tool to assist individuals in identifying inaccurate nutrition advice on social media, fostering heightened digital health literacy.

For additional insights into the study or MyFitnessPal's offerings, visit www.myfitnesspal.com or download the app from the App Store or Google Play.

This summary was constructed with the help of Buoy Health, drawing attention to the pressing issue of digital health literacy and the need to critically assess the tide of nutrition information flooding social media channels.