Cancer patient became malnourished after being given 'dangerous' diet information by wellness guru

Social media influencers pushing extreme choices such as liver or fruit-only diets can drive misleading information. Picture: Denis Minihane

A cancer patient in his 60s was given dangerously incorrect diet information by a self-described “wellness guru”, causing him to lose 20% body weight and become severely malnourished, a nutrition conference has heard.

Misinformation shared about food online needs to be tackled by health experts as it puts the public at risk, the conference hosted by food awareness body SafeFood and other nutrition groups was told.

Targeting of parents and young men, as well as patients with cancer, long covid, or women in menopause has escalated since the pandemic, others warned.

Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute chief executive Jennifer Feighan called on health workers to get involved online and support the public.

“We need to be approachable experts,” she said. “People want agency. We need to give them the resources so they can become informed about their conditions, so they can navigate the world of misinformation they’re in.”

She said while influencers were often critical of the pharmaceutical industry and refer to it as Big Pharma, there is less focus on so-called 'Big Wellness'.

“Big Wellness is worth $6.3trn. The industry has increased by 25% since covid,” she said, referring to the 2024 Global Wellness Economy Monitor.

Una Donnelly is a clinical dietician with the HSE. She described a cancer patient she treated when he was admitted to hospital.

He had been given a blood test by a guru and told he was allergic to potatoes, gluten, dairy, caffeine, cashew nuts, peas, beer, and wine.

“You have to think what’s left as a dietitian,” she said. 

He had also been advised to take supplements, costing €530, but she said there was no evidence for their benefits. 

Social media influencers pushing extreme choices such as liver or fruit-only diets can drive misleading information, researcher Marlana Malerich at the Rooted Research Collective cautioned.

“We found out of hundreds of thousands of Instagram accounts, there were 54 super-spreaders that fit into three personas: the doctor, the rebel, and the hustler,” she said. “Together these 54 super-spreaders reached 24 million people collectively.”

She explained ‘the doc’ may not be a doctor, but is claiming medical authority in some way. The hustlers had the highest engagement and may sell products based on apparent cures. Rebels tend to promote extreme anti-science narratives.

“These individuals are tapping into very real concerns; they offer easy black-and-white solutions in a world where people are tired of making choices,” she said.

Dr Gary McGowan of Cork University Hospital advised how to engage constructively with people who are sharing incorrect or alarmist information.

“Really focus in on the argument, the central point of the argument,” he said.

“The tactics people use are typically moving the goal-posts, so they change your point every time you respond to them. They use 10 arguments all at once.”