Social media is now one of the most prominent forces shaping the nutrition space.
And yet the topic is anything but simple.
Enter influencers, who take the complex subject and package it up into one-size-fits-all, easily-digestible hacks.
At best, well-intentioned tips can mislead consumers.
At worst, they’re a cunning tactic used by influencers for commercial gain, either for their own products or affiliate ones.
A bad influence(r)
Food and nutrition content (especially on highly visual platforms such as Instagram and TikTok) is emotive and often used as a tool for marketing. Influencers and brands capitalize on this.
And research confirms the power of social media to influence behavior. A 2024 study of Millennial and Gen Z TikTok users found that 57% had been influenced by nutrition trends, with 67% saying they adopt such trends multiple times a week.
But alarmingly, only 2.1% of the nutrition content examined aligned with established public health guidelines.
Getting the (wrong) message across
A new report, Nutrition Misinformation in the Digital Age, puts the spotlight on the problem.
Authored by Rooted Research Collective (RRC) and the Freedom Food Alliance (FFA), it looked at 53 key accounts with a following of more than 24 million people.
It found that influencers use many different tactics to get their messages across to their audience, depending on their style, audience and objectives.
Many draw on emotional storytelling and exploit claims of authority. Other strategies include fear-mongering or ‘joy-mongering’ (drawing on the aspirational, in direct contrast to fear-mongering).
Unlike traditional media, social media content can be edited, re-posted or deleted in seconds. The scale and speed of the platforms means that misleading information can rapidly outpace fact-based communication.
There only needs to be a small number of accounts spreading misinformation to creating a far-reaching influence.
And that’s accompanied by a growing distrust of professionals, with one study showing that 1 in 5 Americans trust health influencers more than local medical practitioners.
Different social media personalities have different styles and messaging that they find best resonate with their audiences.
Types of social media personalities and their messaging styles
The Doc: Individuals who prominently use the title ‘Dr’ on their profile – whether they’re a medical doctor or not. By leveraging the perceived authority of a medical title, these ‘superspreaders’ gain high levels of credibility and outreach.
The Rebel: Individuals who self-styled disruptors who reject science and mainstream narratives, positioned as whistleblowers or those exposing a corrupt system. Their messaging is emotionally charged – often thriving on drama and outrage – and frequently tied to broader social or political ideologies.
The Hustler: Highly polished entrepreneurs who blend wellness marketing with personal transformation stories. They typically rely on ‘joy-mongering’: using uplifting language and appealing aesthetics to build a sense of aspiration. They often embed dietary misinformation subtly within the broader lifestyle context of gym routines or morning smoothies.
Source: Nutrition Misinformation in the Digital Age, 2024-2025
The researchers found several dominant themes of nutrition misinformation.
Most common were posts promoting carnivore and meat-based diets, which accounted for 28.8% of misinformation instances. This was closely followed by general health and nutrition misinformation (24.5%) and content centered on low-carb and ketogenic diets (23.7%).
But what quickly became clear is that nutrition misinformation rarely exists in isolation. In fact, over 90% of the superspreaders shared content spanning multiple misinformation themes.
Different intent, same problem
Misinformation refers to false or misleading information that is shared without the intent to deceive, whereas disinformation is deliberately created and spread to mislead or manipulate.
Both forms are increasingly prevalent on social media and can undermine public health by promoting inaccurate and sometimes harmful dietary practices.
It’s the very complexity of nutrition that makes silver bullets and nutrition ‘hacks’ very appealing, said Alice Millbank, co-founder and chief scientific officer at RRC, who’ll be attending the Active Nutrition Summit latest this month alongside other industry communication experts to discuss the research findings and discuss action points.
“Super spreaders exploit confusion by recounting their emotive and personal stories and providing dangerously simple answers dressed up as hacks, often driven by profit, not science,” she told summit host NutraIngredients.
“One of the things that stood out from our research is that most of the super spreaders had their own range of supplements they were promoting. And if you are promoting supplements, it shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all solution. It should always be part of a wider picture of healthy lifestyle changes.”
Tackling misinformation on social media
Ultimately, the key take away from the report is that there’s an urgent need for public health responses that combine credibility with emotional resonance to rebuild trust and combat harmful dietary disinformation.
So what’s the solution?
Firstly, it’s important to start education early: embedding nutrition education into school curricula, including practical skills such as how to cook healthy meals on a budget, could help young people make more informed dietary choices.
Alongside this, helping children develop digital awareness and critical thinking skills will help them learn to question what they read online.
Secondly, it may also be time to rethink how public health messages are delivered. Social media has become one of the main spaces where people seek and share dietary advice. Supporting qualified, nutrition professionals to engage meaningfully on these platforms could offer a more resonant alternative to traditional top-down messaging.
At thirdly, doubling down on misleading or commercial claims presented under the guise of medical authority could help limit its spread and make people aware of the problem.