Keep a check on credibility when it comes to online health and fitness advice

Between fitness bloggers and YouTube wellness gurus, the web offers no shortage of health advice. The key is to question the source.

A 2102 survey by PwC’s Health Research Institute showed 90 per cent of the respondents between 18 and 24 years of age trusted medical information shared by others on their social media networks. GettyShow more

The Food Babe is one of the most influential people on the internet, according to Time magazine. The American-Indian blogger, Vani Hari, whose online persona precedes her professional credentials, has more than three million followers across various social media platforms. For her legion of fans, who call themselves the Food Babe Army, it doesn’t matter that Hari isn’t a registered dietitian or doctor. Her widely circulated thoughts on health and food have moulded public perception to the extent that medical professionals have raised concerns about her fearmongering and misleading tactics.

Among Hari’s more publicised, and also debunked, claims are that canola oil is toxic and that raw milk is best.

The book The Fear Babe: Shattering Vani Hari’s Glass House was published last year by three American writers who wanted to blow the cover on the fallacious claims by such bloggers and the natural-food industry.

But such voices of reason are lost in the noise created by the social media-savvy bloggers, who use their photogenic appeal and photo-editing skills to gain a legion of followers who turn a blind eye to facts.

Dr Zeeshan Khan, a specialist of internal medicine at Medeor 24x7 Hospital in Dubai, says researching about health online is a good first step into understanding issues, but not all the information out there is authentic.

“There is an ocean of information on the internet regarding symptoms and what a person might possibly be suffering from,” he says. “This can occasionally be straightforward or pretty vague and misleading. There are thousands of medical websites and choosing which websites to trust is the important part. Sometimes a doctor might not be aware of new technology or cutting-edge research. In this case, there have been a few examples where people have picked up information about their condition, which has guided them to the right hospital or doctor.”

Khan suggests visiting government-funded websites such as that of the Ministry of Health, the American Medical Association, WebMD and the National Health Service of the United Kingdom for verified information.

In a 2012 study by Pew Research, more than 40 per cent of the Americans surveyed said that information found on social media affects the way they deal with their health. A 2102 survey by PwC’s Health Research Institute showed that 90 per cent of the respondents between 18 and 24 years of age trusted medical information shared by others on their social media networks.

A third study from the same year by communications and research firms Makovsky and Kelton, in which 1,000 American consumers were surveyed, revealed that when it came to going online for health-related information, 17 per cent of the people used Facebook, 15 per cent relied on YouTube and 13 per cent checked blogs.

Stephanie Pech, a certified nutritionist and metabolic coach in Dubai, says the boom of social media influencers doling out misleading information online is “scary”.

“Nowadays people can be anything and anyone they want to be online, and they don’t need to have the education on nutrition or health to be trusted,” says Pech. “If someone has a big following on Instagram, people tend to believe them. I see that often with my clients, as well.”

She says these bloggers detract from credible sources and professionals. “People ask me a lot of questions because they follow health bloggers who aren’t necessarily educated in the subject. They refer to some restaurant and claim something to be healthy. And sometimes I am shocked at the things they find online,” says Pech, who also uses social media to share her wellness insights.

Pech says any information found online should be taken with a pinch of salt. “A lot of the bloggers who have become famous have a financial background and have no idea about the whole industry. These people are getting their information off the internet and magazines without having studied it further. There is so much false information out there and people get confused. So unless you have a degree in hand, I don’t think you should be allowed to educate people at that level.”

Fitness blogger Sarah Al Nowais started sharing her experiences on eating right and being active on The FitNut Blog, which she began in 2014, and on Instagram as a way to inspire people to make healthy choices. “I don’t impose or endorse a specific way of eating or exercising,” she says. “I share experiences, post recipes that cater to different dietary theories and I try to motivate people to try different exercises. No one diet or lifestyle works for everyone and bio individuality is so important to take into account.”

The Emirati fitness enthusiast says she wasn’t a certified nutritionist when she began blogging, but as her passion for the topic grew she decided to study further.

“I also felt that I needed that extra qualification to be more credible when I do give advice,” says the 28-year-old certified integrative nutrition health coach from Abu Dhabi.

But Al Nowais, who is also the co-founder of #theADmovement, which organises ladies-only health and fitness events in the capital, says health credentials or lack of them isn’t always a reliable indicator either.

“There are many people out there with no credentials but so much good to share. We can’t ignore them because they don’t have the necessary qualifications. Having said that, we must do our own thorough research.”

Khan says charting a personal healthcare plan should be done with the help of a doctor. “The best way is to take good advice from your doctor and keep him included in any health-related decisions that you might consider,” he says. “If you have found a credible website, it adds to your information, but at the same time any medical advice or medicine needs to be checked by your physician, otherwise it might cause unnecessary stress and issues.”

Experts also believe there needs to be more awareness among users who often fall for endorsements by social media influencers. Just last year, TV personality Dr Mehmet Oz of The Dr Oz Show, who enjoys a massive virtual following, was criticised and taken to court for promoting weight-loss and dietary supplements, with green coffee bean extract, which has no proven health benefits.

Al Nowais says the issue is widespread in the UAE, too. “You have athletes with washboard abs and health bloggers endorsing and promoting energy drinks and other supplements that they might be being paid for, or are ambassadors of. And as a nutritionist, I know there are no health benefits, but someone who is a fan of this particular athlete or blogger won’t question this.”

Pech says even natural remedies or products promoted by wellness bloggers must be used with caution. “What might work for me may not for you because you could be intolerant or allergic,” she says. “So even if something is natural, you have to check if the product is good for your condition or goal by researching the ingredients.”