It makes sense that with limited NHS resources and long waiting times, people are looking where they can for health advice, with one in five turning to TikTok and one in three to YouTube in search of health information before seeing a healthcare professional, according to one US report.
What concerns me is that a lack of regulation means some unqualified people can give potentially dangerous advice. “Health hacks” that work for one person may not be the best approach for another, and there is no medical professional advising on this. It can lead to people delaying medical treatment too as they adopt “TikTok trends” in the first instance of symptom presentation.
But choose your sources wisely and social media can be a positive place for qualified professionals to share important health messaging and reach more targeted audiences. If I take myself as an example, I treat cancer patients by day but as little NHS budget is spent on prevention, I use my online presence to raise awareness about topics such as cancer screening to younger audiences. And there are others, like I do, who are sharing legitimate health advice out there. So here are the TikTok trends we can learn from and the ones we should ignore.
Rice water hair: Ignore
The trend
Soak rice in cold water for a few days, then spray the resulting “rice water” on to your hair to spur “extreme hair growth”, the trend suggests. It contains amino acids such as inositol that supposedly strengthen hair strands and encourage growth.
The verdict
Hair growth comes from the hair follicle on the scalp. Actually, a build-up of starchy rice water could irritate the scalp and could do the opposite and negatively affect hair growth. Using high-quality hair products, avoiding excessive heat styling and ensuring a nutritious diet are more likely to help keep hair healthy and strong than rice water, which lacks any real evidence behind its use.
Nature’s cereal recipe (aka cereal without cereal): Learn from
The trend
Mix blueberries, raspberries or other berries in a bowl, pour in coconut water and eat it with a spoon. Nature’s cereal recipe is “cereal”, without the cereal.
The verdict
We can learn from this one to some extent as it encourages increasing plant-based foods in our diet such as fresh fruits at breakfast. It also means we cut back on ultra-processed cereals, which are often high in sugar and additives. However, berries alone don’t contain all the important nutrients we need to fuel the day properly. A preferable breakfast would be something that contains more food groups than just fruit, such as a bowl of oats for slow-release carbohydrates for energy, some nuts and seeds for protein, some peanut or almond butter for healthy fats and then the berry mix on top for added vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.
Salt water: Ignore
The trend
Add salt (sodium) to your water with alleged benefits of boosting hydration. The theory behind this is that sweating involves transdermal salt and water loss and so replacing this would improve hydration.
The verdict
Our body has mechanisms to balance salt and water levels in the blood. The salt lost is sufficiently replaced by the food we eat and it’s not necessary or recommended to consume added salt because it can have adverse health risks such as increased blood pressure. If you are taking part in extreme exercise for longer than one hour, then opting for a sports drink to replace glucose and electrolytes would be preferred instead of added sodium.
Liquid chlorophyll: Learn from
The trend
Chlorophyll is the name of the phytochemical that gives plants their green colour. On TikTok, people are drinking green pigment – either shop-bought drops or soaking greens in water – in the hope that it will help clear up their skin and offer some antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
The verdict
While it’s a trend that encourages us to eat more plants, it’s much better to eat whole plants to derive the full nutritional benefit and all the dietary fibre. In the UK, the average fibre consumption is half of the recommended daily amount so eating our plants in their whole form is going to give us the fibre boost we won’t get from the juice alternatives. The average UK dietary fibre consumption is 18g per day, but it is recommended to consume 30g per day to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer as well as improving your blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Proffee: Learn from
The trend
A blend of coffee with added protein powder or protein shake is the latest trend brewing on TikTok.
The verdict
It’s unlikely to cause harm, but there are better ways to increase protein content in your diet. Protein supplementation can be helpful in some instances, and it is convenient; however, it’s always advised to focus on diet first and getting protein from whole food sources, from lean white meats, fish, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds, before leaning to supplementation. There is also often a misconception about how much protein we really need to be consuming. With a little bit of thought, most people can get sufficient protein from their diet, without needing to add it to coffee. Plus, a protein coffee doesn’t include any plants, and we should be aiming to eat a diverse range of plants in each meal, to consume 30 different plants a week.
Seed cycling: Ignore
The trend
Seed cycling involves eating different seeds such as flax, pumpkin, sesame and sunflower seeds at different times of the menstrual cycle. The practice is claimed to balance certain hormones, boost fertility, and ease symptoms of menopause, among other benefits.
The verdict
Seeds are a brilliant plant-based food which should be included into our diet as a great source of protein, fibre, healthy fats and vitamins (such as vitamin A, B6, C, E and D) and minerals (zinc, selenium and folate). However, it would be better to consume these throughout the entire menstrual cycle, and not just at certain times of the month.
Mouth taping: Ignore
The trend
People are taping shut their mouths while sleeping to encourage nasal breathing, supposedly encouraging nose breathing, which can help relieve stress and anxiety, improve insomnia and even lower blood pressure.
The verdict
There are some health benefits to breathing through your nose but mouth taping is extreme and unnecessary. It also could be dangerous in conditions whereby breathing is interrupted during sleep, such as sleep apnoea and nasal deviations. Actively taking time in your day to focus on deep breathing, involving breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth, shows these positive benefits, without the extremes of taping your mouth.
Cold water plunges: Learn from
The trend
While submerging your body in freezing cold water for several minutes may not feel like it’s good for you, there are actually some proven benefits to health.
The verdict
Research on cold water immersion has proven benefits for muscle recovery, boosting mood, supporting immunity, improving sleep and even helping with symptoms of menopause such as hot flushes. There’s also an element of building resilience from putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and doing things beyond your comfort zone. Benefits aside, if you have risk factors such as cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure, it’s important to seek medical advice before jumping straight in.
Slugging: Learn from
The trend
The term TikTok stars are giving to the ritual of applying a thick layer of an occlusive product such as Vaseline at night-time, to resemble a slug. The skin barrier can be compromised by many things from weather, sunlight and UV exposure, medications, abrasions and even treatments done to the skin with good intentions, such as facials or using active ingredients such as acids and retinols.
The verdict
Applying products rich in lipids such as ceramides can help lock in moisture and support the skin barrier to allow healing. This may not be suitable for those with sensitive or oily, acne-prone skin, but any trend that supports looking after our skin, which is a vital organ, gets a thumbs up from me!
Sunscreen contouring: Ignore
The trend
This isn’t one to joke about and has potentially serious consequences. Sunscreen contouring involves applying sunscreen only to certain points of the face to allow areas to tan and give a contoured appearance of facial structure.
The verdict
Sun protection, ideally SPF 50, should be worn on the whole face and any areas of the body exposed to the sun, every day, all year round. Sunlight contains two harmful types of UV rays – UVA and UVB – which can cause skin damage and increase risk of skin cancer, even in winter when it’s not sunny/ Sunscreen should be applied liberally to the whole face, and reapplied regularly, and not sparingly as these trending videos suggest.
When it comes to health trends on social media, remember: if they seem too good to be true, they probably are.
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