Social media, especially TikTok, has become a platform for health advice that is often not based on evidence and can even be harmful.
According to a 2018 study by Weber Shandwick, 67% of American adults who regularly search for health-related information said they found it on social media. Many were concerned the information might be inaccurate, and only 35% said the information was mostly accurate.
This makes it all the more important to debunk the bad health information that spreads online. At Make It, we asked experts about various health-related TikTok trends, whether they actually work, and whether they're even safe to try.
Here are some of the most interesting—and sometimes shocking—TikTok health trends we've asked health experts about so far.
Experts comment on 4 popular health trends on TikTok
1. Using a mouth band to sleep can be dangerous
In late 2022, many TikTok users posted videos of themselves taping their mouths before going to bed, claiming it ensured a good night's sleep. #Mouthtape had 38.5 million views on the app.
The posters claimed that taping their mouths helped them reduce their snoring, breathe through their nose, and even gave them better breath in the morning.
But when asked whether taping the mouth would actually improve sleep, Dr. David Schulman, professor of medicine at the Emory School of Medicine, said, “The answer is probably no.”
Schulman explained that taping your mouth can have several negative consequences, including some that are potentially dangerous:
- Difficulty breathing due to a blocked nose
- Deterioration of breathing during sleep
- Lip irritation caused by the adhesive tape
- Allergies
- Dry lips
“I don't recommend that patients tape their mouths shut while they sleep,” Schulman said. “And if they snore and possibly have sleep apnea, that can make it worse. So that's especially dangerous.”
2. The Sleepy Girl Mocktail can help you fall asleep, but it depends
A better and safer choice than taping your mouth shut might be the Sleepy Girl Mocktail. The mixture of magnesium, prebiotic lemonade and tart cherry juice is said to have a positive effect on sleep.
Wellness influencer Gracie Norton, who sparked interest in the drink, said it gave her the best sleep of her life.
Drinking tart cherry juice may help you sleep because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that can stimulate the production of melatonin, says Azizi Seixas, a sleep and circadian science expert at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
But Seixas told Make It that tart cherry juice only helps you sleep if you don't produce enough melatonin, which isn't the case for most people.
“Many of us who suffer from sleep deprivation do not suffer from [it] because of the underproduction of melatonin. It is primarily due to all these different lifestyle barriers such as stress [and] poor nutrition,” he said.
Keep in mind that tart cherry juice can be high in sugar, which can negatively impact sleep if you drink the concoction too close to bedtime, he added. In people with prediabetes or diabetes, “that can significantly spike your glucose levels” and have health consequences, Seixas said.
3. Red light therapy masks can improve skin health
When we reported on red light therapy masks in February, it garnered over 70 million views on TikTok. The biggest benefit of using LED light masks that people are sharing online is that they can improve skin health and have anti-aging properties.
LED light therapy delivers microcurrents that have been linked to wound healing, a benefit originally discovered by NASA. The effects of red wavelength light in particular are “better suited to anti-aging,” dermatologist Bertha Baum told Make It, because it's “good for collagen production.”
“The most [devices] are intended for daily use,” says Baum, and it's important to stick to the recommended application time, which is usually between five and ten minutes.
It's also incredibly important to use LED light therapy devices that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, she stressed. People with inflammatory diseases such as systemic lupus and systemic sclerosis should talk to their doctor before using LED light therapy devices, she added.
4. The carnivore diet is “basically a terrible idea”
We've seen a lot of diet trends on TikTok this year, but none have shocked most people more than the carnivore diet. The diet consists primarily of beef, butter, bacon, and eggs, and minimizes or completely eliminates fruits and vegetables.
Videos on TikTok show people eating 12 scrambled eggs in a single day or snacking on a stick of butter as if it were a carrot. Followers of the diet claim it has improved their skin health, repaired the condition of their gut and helped them get in the best shape they've ever been in.
But some doctors, such as Dr. Walter Willet, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, were against this diet.
“It's possible that some people who have eaten a lot of refined starches and sugars might do better in the short term on the carnivore diet,” Willett said. “But this sounds like a diet that will be very unhealthy in the long term.”
A lack of fruits and vegetables leads to a lack of fiber, carotenoids and polyphenols, all of which are important for preventing or slowing the development of health problems such as depression or certain types of cancer. Eating too much meat and dairy can also increase your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.
The carnivore diet “basically sounds like a terrible idea,” Willet said.
Are you stressed about money? Sign up for CNBC's new online course. We'll show you how to be more successful and confident with your money, and give you practical strategies to increase your savings, reduce debt, and invest for the future. Get started today and use code EARLYBIRD for an introductory 30% discount through September 2, 2024.
Plus, Sign up for CNBC Make It's newsletter to get tips and tricks for success in your career, with money and in life.
