Social media, and TikTok in particular, has become a hub for often evidence-based and potentially harmful health advice.
According to a 2018 Weber Shandwick survey, of American adults who regularly seek out health-related information, 67% say they find it on social media, with many worried that the information is false, and only 35% saying it's mostly accurate.
That's why it's increasingly important to debunk health misinformation spreading online. Make It asked experts about various health-related TikTok trends, whether they actually work and whether it's safe to try them.
Here are some of the most interesting (and sometimes shocking) TikTok health trends we asked health experts about so far.
1. Taping your mouth while you sleep may be dangerous
In late 2022, many TikTok users posted videos of themselves wrapping tape around their mouths before bed, claiming it helped them sleep better. #Mouthtape has garnered 38.5 million views on the app.
Posters claim that taping their mouths reduces snoring, allows them to breathe through their nose, and makes breathing easier in the morning.
But when asked whether taping your mouth shut actually improves sleep, Dr. David Shulman, professor of medicine at Emory School of Medicine, said, “The answer is probably not.”
Shulman explained that taping your mouth can have several negative effects, including some that are potentially dangerous.
Difficulty breathing due to stuffy nose Poor breathing during sleep Lip inflammation due to tape Allergies Dry lips
“I don't recommend that patients tape their mouths to sleep,” Shulman says, “and if they're snoring and potentially have sleep apnea, that can make their condition worse, so that's especially dangerous.”
2. Sleepy Girl Mocktails may help you sleep, but…
A better, safer option than taping your mouth might be the Sleepy Girl mocktail, a mix of magnesium, prebiotic soda, and tart cherry juice that's been shown to benefit sleep health.
Gracie Norton, the wellness influencer who helped spark interest in the drink, said it gave her the best sleep of her life.
Drinking tart cherry juice may help induce sleep because it contains tryptophan, an amino acid that promotes the production of melatonin, according to Azizi Seixas, an expert on sleep and circadian rhythm science at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
But Seixas told MAKE IT that tart cherry juice will only help you fall asleep if you don't have enough melatonin, which isn't the case for most people.
“Most people who suffer from poor sleep do not suffer from a lack of melatonin. The main causes are various lifestyle disorders such as stress and unhealthy diet,” he said.
Keep in mind that tart cherry juice is high in sugar, which can negatively impact your sleep if you drink it too close to bedtime, Seixas added. If you have prediabetes or diabetes, Seixas said it could “significantly increase your blood sugar,” which could impact your health.
3. Red light therapy masks may improve skin health
Our report on red light therapy masks in February has garnered more than 70 million views on TikTok. The biggest benefit of using LED light masks, as shared online, is that they can improve skin health and provide anti-aging benefits.
LED light therapy emits tiny electrical currents that have been linked to wound healing, an effect that was initially discovered by NASA, dermatologist Bertha Baum tells Make It, especially the effects of red wavelengths of light, as they're “effective for anti-aging” and “good for collagen production.”
“Most (devices) are designed for daily use,” Baum said, adding that it's important to stick to the recommended usage time, usually five to 10 minutes.
It's also very 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 erythematosus or systemic sclerosis, should consult with their doctor before using an LED light therapy device, she added.
4. Carnivore diets are “fundamentally a terrible idea”
A variety of diets have gone viral on TikTok this year, but none have shocked as many people as the carnivore diet, which consists primarily of beef, butter, bacon and eggs, and either minimizes or completely cuts out fruits and vegetables.
TikTok videos show people eating 12 scrambled eggs a day and munching on butter like carrots, and those following the diet claim it improves skin health, repairs their gut and gets them in the best shape of their lives.
But some doctors, such as Dr. Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, did not support the diet.
“Some people who are used to eating a lot of refined starches and sugars may be better off on a carnivore diet in the short term,” Willett said, “but in the long term it seems like a very unhealthy diet.”
A lack of fruits and vegetables leads to a lack of dietary fiber, carotenoids and polyphenols, all of which are important in preventing and slowing the progression of health conditions such as depression and certain cancers. Eating mainly meat and dairy products increases your intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, which increases your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
A carnivore diet “basically sounds like a terrible idea,” Willett says.
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