As MAHA sweeps the nation, people are finding a renewed interest in their health. But how does one keep up with all the wellness trends and know which ones are legit and which are potentially dangerous fads? When it comes to your well-being, common sense and doctors’ advice are usually the go-to, but here are some popular movements you might want to think twice about before trying.
Health Trends You Might Want to Avoid
Collagen Supplements
There’s no true fountain of youth out there, but that doesn’t stop people from trying to stall and even reverse signs of aging. Collagen is a protein that helps our body maintain its structure (skin, hair, nails, etc.), but as we age, our bodies produce less, and we start to see wrinkles. One of the popular health trends is to use collagen drinking shots, supplements, and slathering creams. It’s big business, worth more than $5.5 billion in the global market. But does it work?
According to ZOE, a health website, there hasn’t been enough research on the benefits of using collagen products. Also, some studies are primarily funded by the products’ manufacturers, so they are more apt to put a positive spin on the research.
MD Anderson Cancer Center suggests caution before taking any supplements. “Collagen supplements are generally made from connective tissue, bones and other parts of cows, pigs, chicken and fish. They can contain toxins and heavy metals that could be harmful. As with all supplements, collagen is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). So, the purity of their active ingredient is not standardized.”
What about creams and lotions? Well, collagen is too large a molecule to pass through the skin’s outer layers, so those products are not very beneficial.
Gluten-Free Diets
More foods are hitting stores with gluten-free labels, and some health-conscious people are snatching them off the shelves as fast as they can. Gluten is a protein that occurs naturally in barley, rye, and wheat. Unless you have a sensitivity to it or suffer from celiac disease, there’s really no need to cut this out of your diet. ZOE explained: “[C]utting out gluten often means opting for more heavily processed gluten-free products and cutting out healthy foods that contain nutrients, like fiber.”
The gluten-free food market is worth nearly $7 billion and is expected to rise to $14 billion in the next ten years, according to Statista.
Cold Plunges
You’ve heard, seen, or maybe even participated in cold plunges. Every year, people gather to jump into icy ponds during the polar bear plunge. While there are some benefits, such as easing sore muscles and reducing swelling – some even claim it improves mental awareness – cold plunges can be dangerous. The Cleveland Clinic lists hypothermia, skin and nerve damage, breathing difficulties, cardiovascular stress, numbness, and loss of motor control as some of the side effects.
If your goal is weight loss or building muscle, taking a dip in a freezing bath can actually work against you. Your appetite may increase, leading you to eat more than usual.
Lastly, people with certain conditions – such as heart disease, diabetes, poor circulation, high blood pressure, or peripheral neuropathy – should avoid risky health trends like this.
Diets and Detox
There are a lot of health trends promoting ways to “reset” the body, including extreme diets, detox programs, and juice cleanses. Strict diets are hard to maintain. You may lose weight at first, but if you don’t stick with it, you’re likely to regain the pounds and maybe even add more. Plus, many of these diet programs require eliminating certain food groups, depriving the body of essential nutrients and vitamins. As Forbes pointed out: “When the body senses a lack of essential nutrients, it perceives it as a threat, triggering a stress response.”
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone in the body. It increases sugar, or glucose, in the bloodstream – and when the levels surge, the response is weight gain. The International Journal on the Biology of Stress research found that strong calorie reduction, especially in fasting, leads to a cortisol spike. Besides leading to weight gain, it can also cause brain fog and mood swings while potentially making it more difficult to sustain long-term weight loss. It may even lead to stress-related eating behaviors – again, reinforcing weight gain.
Obsessed With Digital Wellness Trackers
Fitness trackers have been one of the biggest health trends for years. People use them for many reasons, from counting steps and calories to monitoring their sleep habits. While these devices can be a great motivator, they can also cause problems. As Liberty Nation News reported, the trackers don’t work for everyone, such as obese users. Beyond that, though, they can also misclassify sleep scores by up to 28%, explained Dan Go, a health fitness guide. Calorie estimates can be off by anywhere between 18% and 40%.
But one of the biggest concerns is the way some people become dependent – or, more accurately, obsessed – with what their digital health trackers show them. The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine published research detailing how some people are so focused on their sleep data that they actually develop anxiety trying to make sure they get the best sleep possible. This can lead to a condition called “orthosomnia,” which is when people have problems sleeping because they worry about getting enough or the right kind of sleep. The issue with these trackers is that they estimate sleep by body movements, not the actual brain activity. For instance, it can misinterpret activities, such as reading in bed, as light sleep, which can lead to false concerns and various readings.
Being Too Positive
You know those people, the ones who manage to stay positive no matter the circumstance. We might envy their ability to always see the glass as half full, but studies from the International Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research found that bottling up emotions can lead to stress and other health issues. Life is full of ups and downs, and repressing one’s emotions instead of dealing with them can take its toll. To maintain such a positive attitude all the time, people have to sustain a high level of energy, which, according to experts, can lead to depression, anxiety, and other health problems.
*This list of health trends that you might want to avoid is not to be taken as medical advice. It is always best to check with your health-care provider if you have concerns.
