The Truth Behind Health Trends: Why Experts Are Warning Against Social Media’s Favourite Supplements
In an age where social media dictates so much of our daily lives, it’s hardly surprising that our health decisions have fallen under the spell of the endless scroll. Every day, millions of people across Ireland and beyond are bombarded with influencers, celebrities, and even self-styled wellness gurus touting miracle products, life-changing supplements, and revolutionary skincare routines. Among the most popular topics flooding our feeds daily are collagen supplements, sun protection, and cancer-related content, all vying for our attention and, more importantly, our cash. But here’s the uncomfortable truth that’s beginning to surface: much of this advice is riddled with inaccuracies, half-truths, and blatant marketing dressed up as scientific fact. The real concern is that vulnerable patients and well-meaning consumers are parting with significant sums of money on products that, quite simply, do not deliver what they promise. The gap between what the internet tells us we need and what our bodies actually require has never been wider, and health professionals are becoming increasingly vocal about the urgent need to bridge it before more people are misled.
At the centre of this battle against misinformation stands Tom McKenna, a Dublin-based pharmacist who has become an unlikely social media sensation with over 130,000 followers. His success lies in his refreshingly blunt, no-nonsense approach to debunking online health myths, one video at a time. McKenna, who works at Balally Pharmacy in Sandyford, sees the fallout of online misinformation every single day. He recounts how pharmacists and doctors across the country constantly field questions from patients who arrive armed with pages of Google searches, convinced they’ve found the answer to their health problems or, worse, terrified by claims they’ve read online. “Up and down the country every day of the week,” he explains, “pharmacists and doctors are dealing with a whole pile of questions coming from Dr Google, from patients trying to empower themselves to look after themselves better.” We have, as he rightly observes, become a caffeinated society, desperately wanting instant answers to everything, and this frantic pace has unfortunately extended to how we approach our health. We want the quick fix, and there are plenty of people online more than happy to sell us one.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the massive global obsession with collagen supplements. These products are everywhere, aggressively marketed primarily at middle-aged women and increasingly to men too, promising firmer skin, fewer wrinkles, and the youthful glow of their twenties. But the science behind the hype simply doesn’t stack up. McKenna, who has no qualms about challenging multi-billion-pound industries, is rightly concerned that the slick sales pitches simply do not match the scientific reality. He explains in his signature accessible style that collagen is essentially a long-chain protein, perhaps best visualised as a bicycle chain, which our bodies naturally build from the amino acids found in the protein we consume. Our clever bodies then use essential components like zinc, copper, and vitamin C to construct it. However, and this is the critical point that often gets lost in the hype, he clearly states: “What is also a fact is humans can’t absorb collagen.” We physically cannot absorb the long-chain protein structure directly through our digestive systems, no matter what the marketing might suggest.
So, if these expensive supplements are being passed straight through our bodies undigested, what’s the answer? McKenna’s advice is beautifully simple, wonderfully effective, and frankly, terrible news for anyone hoping there’s a magic pill. If you want to boost your body’s natural collagen production, you need to look no further than your dinner plate. He suggests spending that money on a quality piece of steak or some fresh, oily fish instead. Choose a lean cut of grass-fed beef, a portion of omega-3-rich salmon, and you’re giving your body the raw materials it needs to produce its own collagen naturally, alongside a whole host of other vital nutrients. In contrast, marine collagen, ironically, is hardly appetising, he notes, often being made from “the stuff the fishmonger can’t sell… all the garbage” – typically the skin, bones, and scales left over from processing.
This leads McKeen to a philosophy he calls “food first principles,” which simply means ditching the supplements and heading back to basics by prioritising whole, unprocessed foods over anything that comes in a pill bottle or powder sachet. He frequently tells his patients to “invest in your health” by buying real ingredients and preparing them from scratch. Take, for example, the humble kiwi, which provides fibre, vitamin C, and a cocktail of minerals; it’s also a natural source of sleep-supporting compounds linked to improved sleep, outperforming any magnesium supplement on the market. However, McKenna is the first to admit this message doesn’t always land well in our fast-paced society. A pragmatic solution involving a tin of baked beans and an omelette simply doesn’t have the same viral appeal as a miracle pill. “That’s not a very sexy message,” he laughs, but argues that we must move past the seductive promise of a quick fix if we want to see real, lasting changes to our health.
Her message aligns perfectly with the concept that nature and science can work together effectively. “We have refined what nature has given us through the power of science to make something that’s more effective and oftentimes safer,” she explains. Looking through a critical lens at the content flooding the internet, it’s clear that much of it is deliberately designed to catch the eye and provoke a reaction, not to educate. Creators may use influential language or titles to establish false authority, creating an environment where confusion runs rife and credible information gets lost. Recent examples only add to the horror story, with one well-known TV host given a stark behind-the-scenes tour of a Chinese collagen factory, revealing the industry “entirely relies on the waste products of industrial meat and fish processing.” The answer, according to the experts, is clear: stop being distracted by miracle cures, arm yourself with knowledge, and go back to basics, because a healthy life is built on more than just a hashtag.