
About 4.5 million adults in the United States have liver disease. If they’re looking for information about their condition, they’d be wise to look beyond TikTok, new research suggests. About 40% of posts about liver disease on the social media platform are false or misleading, pushing claims about fad diets and detox drinks, according to a researcher from the University of Arizona College of Medicine, in Tucson. “People should always consult their doctor first for guidance on their specific medical condition, but we also know that getting health information and tips from social media is extremely common these days,” said study author Dr. Macklin Loveland, an internal medicine resident. “When the average person sees a post about liver disease on social media, they may have no idea that the claims are entirely inaccurate,” Loveland said in a news release from the American Gastroenterological Association. Loveland found more than 2,200 posts on TikTok using the terms “cirrhosis” and “liver disease” between Oct. 1 and Nov. 25, 2022. He compared the information in the posts against established practice guidelines from the American College of Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association and American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. That comparison found that 883 of the posts, nearly 40%, contained misinformation. Claims about herbal products reversing liver disease were the most common inaccuracies. Other falsehoods were that eating certain… read on > read on >