by Since viral trends are pressing dangerous “miracle diets” on Instagram and YouTube, a new study shows how misinformations show the risks of orthorexia and covid-19-worsened and why doctors urge a social media shakeup to save lives.
Study: Disinformation about nutrition and nutrition in social networks: a review of literature. Photo credits: Greatbjoernf / Shutterstock
In an overview article published in the magazine, which was published Nutrición HospitalariaThe authors discuss the type and frequency of nutritional misinformation on various social media platforms. In this overview article, the need for cooperation between institutions for public health and members of the health professions to promote authentic health information and education on social media is emphasized, with the focus on improving digital literacy and the proactively accommodating misinformation.
background
Social media has become an essential part of modern life, with millions of people use various social media platforms for communication, relaxation, information collection and exchange of views and opinions at any moment. Under various social media platforms, Instagram, YouTube, X (formerly Twitter) and Tiktok, the most powerful platforms for the discussion of political views, the promotion of health behavior, the discussion of health practices and the spread of information about the perceived health benefits of different nutritional patterns. A main problem in connection with social media is the lack of content regulation, which often leads to a rapid spread of misinformation to a large, diverse audience. Such misconduct is particularly harmful when it comes to health and nutrition, since the trust of people in misinformation on these topics can lead to considerable crises in public health.
In view of the quality and reliability of health information on social media and its effects on public health, a team of Spanish researchers carried out this systematic review of the literature in order to examine the type and frequency of health and nutritional misinformation on various social media platforms.
Systematic review design
This systematic review analyzed existing studies that focused on nutritional misinformation on various social media platforms, including Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. These studies were published between January 2017 and June 2024. The authors analyzed 28 studies (selected from an initial pool of 673 articles) and included more than 2 million Instagram posts, 1,000 YouTube videos and 46,000 tweets to identify social platforms that are most often connected to the misinformation and which appear from readings.
Check the results
The systematic analysis of selected studies showed that Instagram (50%) and YouTube (39.28%) are the most frequently used platforms for the distribution of misinformation in connection with nutrition, while Facebook (18.75%), X (10.72%) and Tikok (5.13%) are least the same purpose. Various factors were associated with the spread of misinformation, including the brand promotion of Youtubers, the achievement of popularity (more likes and views) and targeted efforts of influencers, specific demographies such as women with low self -esteem.
The review contained a section of “miracle diet”, which claims to heal different health conditions within a short time without providing scientific evidence. These types of diets are also generally known as “superfoods” or “healthy eating”. The analysis of studies that focus on such diets showed that Instagram is the most common source of information on Miracle diets (64.70%of the studies), followed by YouTube (41.17%), X (29.41%) and Facebook (21.12%). In studies that deal with misinformation in connection with miracle diets, various health states, including Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), orthorexia, gout, osteoporosis, kidney disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome and cell disease. In these studies, Covid-19 and Orthorexia became the most frequently mentioned pathologies (14.28%each). These observations underline the context of these diseases with the promotion of miracle diets and aims to use people who suffer from these conditions.
YouTube and X were the most common sources (54.54%each) of nutritional information in connection with various pathologies, followed by Instagram (27.27%) and Facebook (11.75%).
Meaning
This overview article offers a comprehensive overview of nutritional misinformation on various social media platforms that may increase long-term health risks and trigger crises for public health. The review identifies the outstanding role of audiovisual social media platforms such as Instagram and YouTube in spreading misinformation on nutrition and nutrition. These platforms are particularly popular with younger people who feel easily attracted to visual representations of interactive content.
This shift of the user preference from text -based to audiovisual representations reflects the suitability of these platforms for promoting and spreading nutritional fever, which can modulate the health behavior of the users and increase their risk of developing physical and psychological disorders. The review emphasizes the role of influencers and content as a nutrition and determines how many branded products or not observed nutritional plans – often without scientific support – promote to include the audience and promote visibility.
The review finds a strong connection between Miracle diets and orthorexia (an unhealthy obsession of food quality), which is particularly worrying, since the fast claims raised by miracle diet on the health improvement potentially the food preference of people with high risk can be relocated to unrealistic and unhealthy dietary ideas and further damage disorders.
The review also includes an introduction of misinformation on various social media platforms during the Covid 19 pandemic. During this time, an increase in misinformations via COVID-19 prevention methods on a nutritional basis was observed, in particular on Instagram and X. However, the study also found that credible nutritional content of members of the health professions and academic organizations increasingly increased the importance of the reliable sources. The study also determines a relevant decline in public interest in the Mediterranean diet, a pattern that is tightened by misleading trends on social platforms.
Taking into account the advantages of precise health information, these observations also underline the need to increase the visibility of credible sources compared to social media users. Health professions in particular are asked to use social media in order to spread evidence -based instructions and to counteract harmful stories. Overall, this review offers a robust basis for coping with the challenges that come from nutritional misinformation in social networks.
