Most online diet advice for breast cancer is not backed by good evidence, study finds

Adelaide University researchers checked claims across social media, Google and ChatGPT, and say patients should go to trusted health sources.

Confirmed

Most diet advice about breast cancer found online is not backed by good evidence, a new study has found. Researchers at Adelaide University checked 151 claims about food and breast cancer. The claims came from 387 posts and answers on Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, Google and ChatGPT. Fewer than 13% of the claims were supported by reliable evidence. Google and ChatGPT gave the most accurate information, the study found. X, TikTok and Pinterest were the worst. Lead author Negin Amin said up to 76% of claims on X and TikTok were not supported. The study was published in the journal Patient Education and Counseling, and MJA InSight+ reported on it today. The authors say claims with weak evidence are "not necessarily wrong". But they say people should check before changing what they eat. They suggest patients get advice from Cancer Council or the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia. Cancer Council can be reached on 13 11 20.