Finding trustworthy nutrition information online ought to be simple enough: ask a credible expert, check the evidence, ignore the bloke on social media promising that a purple powder can outwit biology. Yet new analysis from World Cancer Research Fund suggests the digital diet jungle is getting thicker, louder and rather too confident for its own good.
Nearly half of patient-facing NHS staff, 44%, say patients bring them inaccurate or misleading nutrition or supplement information at least once a week. That includes 6% who say it happens daily or almost daily.
For doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals already working with full appointment lists and precious little spare oxygen in the room, the finding points to another pressure: not just treating patients, but untangling claims about detoxes, supplements, superfoods and cancer prevention before they do harm.
World Cancer Research Fund’s research identifies a rather awkward modern pairing: confidence and misunderstanding walking hand in hand down the same corridor.
Among UK adults, 62% say they feel confident they can find trustworthy nutrition information online. But that rises to 72% among people whose main news source is social network websites.
That might sound encouraging until the numbers start making a nuisance of themselves. The same social media-reliant group is also more likely to believe misleading claims about diet, supplements and cancer prevention.
Compared with people whose main news source is not social media, they are less likely to identify eating plenty of fibre as something that can reduce cancer risk, at 48% versus 55%. They are also more likely to think certain supplements can reduce cancer risk, 15% versus 11%, and more likely to believe certain foods or diets can “starve” cancer, 13% versus 7%.
The internet has many virtues. It can tell you the capital of Bhutan, show you how to change a bicycle tyre and ruin a perfectly good evening with one innocent search about knee pain. But nutrition advice online is often delivered with the certainty of a man holding a microphone at closing time.
The strain on healthcare professionals is not theoretical. World Cancer Research Fund says 40% of patient-facing NHS staff are not confident that nutritional advice they see online is correct. A further 37% say they are not confident about where to find reliable, evidence-based information on supplements.
That matters because healthcare professionals remain the public’s most trusted source of nutrition advice. Yet the job they are being asked to perform is changing. A consultation can now involve symptoms, treatment, lifestyle advice and a small archaeological dig through whatever the patient saw on a video platform at midnight.
World Cancer Research Fund already supports professionals and the public through its Cancer and Nutrition Helpline, webinars, workshops, cooking through cancer classes and practical resources on nutrition and cancer prevention. But the charity warns that these initiatives, useful as they are, cannot keep pace with the scale of misinformation now washing across people’s screens.
Some of the beliefs uncovered in the research show how neatly wellness language can slide into misinformation.
One in five people, 20%, say detoxes or “cleanses” are good for health. Among 18-34s, 11% wrongly think eating the same “superfood” most days can reduce cancer risk. More than one in five people, 21%, spend over £10 a month on dietary supplements.
None of this makes people foolish. It makes them human. When someone is frightened, tired or trying to make better choices, a clear promise can feel more comforting than a cautious explanation. The problem is that cancer prevention is not built on miracle shortcuts. It is built on evidence, habits and boringly dependable things: healthy weight, physical activity, fibre-rich diets, lower alcohol intake and the wider pattern of everyday choices.
World Cancer Research Fund warns misleading information can divert people away from the habits known to reduce cancer risk at a time when around 4 in 10 cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
The charity is calling on the UK Government to use the NHS Workforce Plan to strengthen support for evidence-based advice on cancer prevention, nutrition and physical activity.
It says healthcare professionals should have better access to training on nutrition, physical activity and reducing alcohol consumption in relation to cancer prevention and survivorship, supported by high-quality resources developed with cancer charities.
Previous UK research found that more than 70% of medical students and doctors surveyed reported receiving fewer than two hours of nutrition training at medical school. That is not exactly a banquet of preparation.
World Cancer Research Fund is already working with medical schools at the Universities of Lincoln and Southampton to create practical teaching resources for tomorrow’s doctors on diet, weight and cancer risk. Its pilot scheme with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde also makes the charity’s Cancer and Nutrition Helpline part of many patients’ cancer care pathways.
The point is not to turn every healthcare professional into a dietitian, nor to expect them to spend their evenings wrestling the internet into submission. It is to give them clear, trusted material when patients raise claims they have seen online.
A simple sense-checking tool designed to help readers make more confident decisions when they come across health information online.
When you see health information, run it through the TRUST Test before accepting it, acting on it, or passing it on.
Does it promise unrealistic results or quick fixes?
Does it trace back to scientific evidence rather than personal stories or opinions?
Has the person sharing the information understood the dangers and risks, or have they downplayed the harms and promoted unproven remedies over appropriate medical care?
Does it come from a trusted organisation or scientific source? What do other experts say?
If it doesn’t pass the TRUST Test, don’t pass it on.
As part of Cancer Prevention Action Week’s Science Not Fiction 3-year Campaign, running 15–21 June, World Cancer Research Fund is launching a new TRUST Test to help the public and healthcare professionals spot health misinformation online.
The tool incorporates misinformation detection indicators tested and validated by researchers at University College London, with refinement from Alex Ruani, Doctoral Researcher in health-diet misinformation at University College London.
In YouGov’s qualitative testing for WCRF, participants described the TRUST Test as clear, memorable and practical. It goes live on 15 June at https://www.wcrf.org/trust-test
World Cancer Research Fund’s UK Director, Steven Greenberg, said:
“Misinformation about diet and cancer isn’t just confusing, it’s putting people’s health at risk. The danger isn’t just false claims, it’s advice that’s distorted, taken out of context, or presented in a way that hides the risks.
“We know people are acting on this information, particularly when it comes from social media, and that can have real consequences for their health.”
There is a particularly sharp edge to misinformation around cancer because it often borrows the language of hope. It does not always arrive wearing a tin-foil hat. Sometimes it comes beautifully packaged, spoken with warmth, confidence and a soothing disregard for caveats.
World Cancer Research Fund’s Chief Executive, Rachael Hutson, said: “Too many people are trying to make important health decisions in a fog of online misinformation.
“When advice is confusing or misleading, it can take people away from the everyday habits we know help reduce cancer risk and towards claims that are exaggerated, distorted or simply untrue.
“Our TRUST Test is there to help people feel more confident about what they see online because when it comes to cancer prevention, it should be based on science, not fiction.”
Alex Ruani, who has been advising World Cancer Research Fund on their misinformation campaign, said:
“We now have strong evidence that nutrition misinformation is not just misleading – it can be actively harmful. UCL research shows that inaccurate or incomplete health advice can influence real-world decisions, from dangerous dieting and supplement misuse to delaying or abandoning effective treatment.
“What makes this particularly concerning is that misinformation often presents itself with confidence and simplicity, while leaving out crucial context, risks or uncertainty. That combination makes it more persuasive, especially on social media where engagement is driven by emotionally compelling claims rather than careful evidence.
“If we want to reduce harm, we need to start treating exposure to misleading health information as a public health risk in its own right – something we can measure, prioritise and act on. Tools like the TRUST Test are important because they help people recognise these patterns and make decisions based on verifiable evidence, not just what sounds convincing.”
Former breast surgeon, three-time breast cancer patient, keynote speaker and author Liz O’Riordan is supporting World Cancer Research Fund’s campaign. Her perspective carries the uncomfortable weight of both clinical experience and personal reality.
Liz O’Riordan said: “As a breast surgeon and breast cancer patient, I know how overwhelming it can be trying to make sense of all the information out there.
“When something sounds hopeful, it’s very easy to think ‘why not try it too?’ even if it’s not based on solid evidence. A lot of this information sounds convincing, but it doesn’t always tell the full story – and that can make an already difficult situation even harder and at times dangerous.”
That is the crux of it. Bad nutrition advice is not merely annoying background noise. It can cost time, money, trust and, in the worst circumstances, safer choices.
Finding trustworthy nutrition information online should not require a medical degree, a spare afternoon and the patience of a saint in a slow four-ball. The TRUST Test is not a magic wand, but it is a sensible starting point: pause, question, check the source and remember that science rarely shouts, even when it has every right to.
Andy Devaney is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sustain Health Magazine, an editor and all-round media man with more than two decades’ experience in newspaper and magazine journalism.
Over the years he has steered Sustain Health from a niche passion project into an award-winning health and fitness title, recognised for its coverage of sport, wellness, lifestyle and celebrity culture.
Andy’s own health and fitness journey kicked off in earnest just before his 40th birthday, after years of slogging through fad diets and “miracle” products. That experience pushed him to cut through the industry noise, separate fact from fiction and give readers straight, honest information about what actually works.
Today, he uses Sustain Health as a platform to do exactly that – interrogating trends, testing products and telling readers what’s worth their time, money and effort.
View all posts by Andy Devaney | Website
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The Cancer Diet Myths WCRF Wants You To Stop Believing – Sustain Health Magazine
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