Social media can be an overwhelming place – especially if you are, like me, interested in health and wellbeing. There’s a vast number of people – ranging from experts to friends and acquaintances – with reckons and recommendations on health. It’s nothing new, really; women —in particular— have always been targeted by marketers with new ways to change our bodies and solve our health problems. But in the age of social media, this has ramped up to a level where figuring out even basic things – like how to eat – can be highly confusing.
If you’ve been wandering through Instagram, Facebook or TikTok lately and feeling this, here’s a roundup of recent trending health and wellness topics – and whether or not they’re worth your time and energy.
Carnivore diets
I used to think eating vegetables as good for health; it was one thing that mainstream health experts and even the most extreme of diet promoters could agree on. Now, that’s not the case. The ‘carnivore’ or meat-only diet is trending, which means you’ll see influencers demonstrating their meals of giant steak, hunks of butter and lard, and claiming all sorts of benefits from improved skin to less painful periods. The same people also claim that vegetables are harmful.
Healthy or hoax? There’s no evidence a meat-only diet is beneficial for health. There have been zero studies on it; the one paper published was a survey of diet enthusiasts and didn’t measure any health markers. Dietitians say the diet is basically an extreme elimination diet – like the temporary diets used for people with suspected allergies – and is lacking in essential vitamins and nutrients, such as carbohydrates and fibre. There’s no evidence on what this diet might do to a person who followed it in the long term, though there’s speculation it could damage the gut, heart and other aspects of health. Another telling detail might be that ‘Dr Carnivore’, Paul Saladino – a prominent advocate of a meat-only diet – has recently walked that back and has added carbohydrates into his diet, saying he believed his five years as a carnivore caused him health problems.
Bottom line: Eating a wide variety of foods is best for health. Eating just one food – no matter what it is – is not ideal.
IV infusions
The vitamin IV drip, another favourite of wellness warriors, including Gwyneth Paltrow, is gaining in popularity. The drips contain ‘cocktails’ of vitamins, sometimes in high doses, and are promoted for everything from immunity boosting to slowing ageing.
Healthy or hoax? There’s very little published research on IV drips for otherwise healthy people. Unless you have a diagnosed deficiency, taking vitamins in drip form will unlikely give you any extra benefit. One research paper on this also warned there could be potential harms from taking high quantities of some vitamins and minerals, especially vitamins A, D, E and K. These are fat-soluble, so we don’t eliminate them by peeing them out; they could build up and cause toxicity. People with kidney issues, heart disease or high blood pressure should also steer well clear of high-dose vitamins. For them, they could cause serious or long-term harm.
Bottom line: Stick to getting your vitamins the old-fashioned way: via food. Spending your hard-earned money on good-quality whole foods is a much better health investment than an expensive IV cocktail.
Strength training
If you’re a woman on social media, you’ve likely seen your fair share of fitness influencers. Many sing the praises of strength training – lifting heavy weights – for improved health and wellbeing benefits as we age. The philosophy is to ditch the cardio-heavy, high-rep workout culture and go for serious weight training – to the point of failure if possible – to build muscle, protect bones and improve strength.
Healthy or hoax? Research increasingly shows that strength training might be a woman’s best friend regarding healthy ageing. Despite having been regarded as a male-only preserve, heading into the weight room – or getting some dumbbells and working out at home – has been shown to have a wide range of benefits. Working our muscles hard – using heavy weights – helps us hold onto and build muscle mass. This is good for midlife and older women because muscle mass declines fast at perimenopause and menopause as we lose the influence of oestrogen. Strength training also helps prevent bone loss and has been shown to benefit heart health, mental health and immunity. It can also boost our brains, potentially helping to prevent cognitive decline. And it can be useful for weight control if that’s a concern for you.
Bottom line: If you’re a cardio queen, swapping out a couple of walks, runs or spin classes for weights sessions will very likely be a health-boosting move.
Collagen
Gummies, powders, drinks and tablets containing collagen are everywhere – a booming category of products mainly targeted at women, promising benefits from glowing skin and lustrous hair to improved joint pain. The claims stem from the fact that collagen is one of the major structural proteins we need; it keeps our skin, bones, cartilage, tendons, nails and hair healthy. We tend to lose collagen naturally as we age.
Healthy or hoax? Some research has found benefits from consuming collagen, including improved skin elasticity and decreased joint pain. Much of the research is industry-funded, so conflicts of interest might apply. And, unfortunately, it’s not as simple as ‘eat collagen: boost collagen in the body’; or ‘eat collagen: collagen goes to skin’. We can’t absorb collagen in its whole form, so when we eat that gummy or powder, the collagen is broken down by the body into peptides and then into amino acids (the building blocks of protein). The body can then use these as they’re most needed – which might be anywhere. If they form collagen, it might get used in the skin, but it could also be used in bones, joints or cartilage.
It is also worth noting that supplements are very lightly regulated, which can lead to serious problems. A 2020 survey of popular collagen supplements sold on Amazon.com found worrying levels of heavy metals: 64 per cent of collagen powders tested positive for ‘measurable levels’ of arsenic; 37 per cent had lead, and 34 per cent tested positive for trace levels of mercury.
Bottom line: An easier – and tastier – way of boosting collagen might be to ensure you’re eating lots of protein, including animal protein. Bone broth might be helpful, too. If you are going to supplement, take care and look for certification and evidence of testing for safety.
Creatine
Similar to collagen, creatine is an amino acid the body naturally produces. It helps supply muscles with the energy they need to perform. We get creatine when we eat protein-containing foods. But you may have seen increased fitness influencers recommending supplementing with creatine powder to boost exercise performance, improve strength and speed recovery from weight training.
Healthy or hoax? While there hasn’t been much research on creatine in women (as with many areas of health), it is emerging in the science that creatine supplementation looks likely to be pretty valuable. This is especially true as we hit perimenopause age (from the late 30s onwards). It’s beneficial for exercise performance, muscle building and bone health, and it can also improve mood and cognition. It’s a simple and relatively inexpensive powder that can be mixed with any liquid, and five grammes a day has been shown to be effective for general health (higher doses might be needed for brain-boosting).
Bottom line: This is one trendy supplement that could be well worth investing in, especially if you’re doing any kind of strength or training.
