Tim Spector warns against ‘snake oil’ products pushing gut health
Tim Spector, epidemiologist and co-founder of the ZOE nutrition app, has warned the public to stay vigilant against "quick fix" diets and "snake oil" products that claim to improve gut health.
The trend of gut health has seen exponential growth in recent years, and is believed to continue as a priority for many people wanting to improve their overall wellbeing this year.
But as interest in gut health continues to boom, many brands and social media influencers are looking to capitalise on the trend by promoting and selling products, diet plans and various lifestyle changes.
Beware the 'health halo'
Spector, who has been studying and advocating for further research on gut health for more than 12 years, tells Yahoo UK that retailers tend to use the term as a "health halo" to give their products the illusion of carrying health benefits - despite many of them having no real perks.
"Some brands will say their products are high in vitamins, low in fat, low in calories, contain vitamin C, and ‘gut health’ is another label to stick on it," he says. "And yet it’s ultra-processed foods that have nothing real about them."
Spector adds that there are some foods claiming to be "gut-friendly" that he "wouldn’t touch". "They have shelf lives that last for years and that tells you that they can’t contain any live cultures or good bacteria."
He urges customers to check the label of any product that claims to be good for gut health, in order to see if you recognise what’s listed in the ingredients. "They need to make sure they don’t have lots of artificial sweeteners or extra sugar in them.
"The ingredients should be things you could get in your greengrocers or that you’d have on your shelf at home. I think it’s really important for people to be vigilant, just because it says ‘gut health’ on the label doesn’t mean everything is going to be good."
'Quick fixes don't work - life is not that simple'
The scientist also warns against turning to "random TikTok influencers" for advice on gut health, and to fight the temptation to believe in a "quick fix" solution to wellbeing.
"People should be aware of the simple, quick fix. Humans love the quick fix, we love a single tablet or advice that says, ‘All I’ve got to do is cut this out of my diet and my life will be changed’. We’ve gone through all these phases of believing in nice, simple, black-and-white things - and they don’t work.
"Life is not that simple and you’ve got to do something that’s based on science, which is more complicated. You must realise that you need to spend a bit of time educating yourself and understanding what’s going on."
His comments come as Marks & Spencer, which has teamed up with ZOE to release a new Gut Shot drink, released research showing that while 76% of customers say they are aware of gut health as a concept, just over a third (39%) have a good understanding of what it is.
More than a third say they consciously want to learn more about how to take better care of their gut, with 19% saying they are educating themselves and 15% keen to know more.
However, a worrying one in 10 (9%) don’t know where to look for advice. Previous research by Imodium revealed that 29% of young people aged 18 to 24 admitted they are turning to social media influencers on TikTok and Instagram for gut health advice.
The survey, released last year, suggested that almost a quarter (22%) of respondents could be putting their health at risk by doing so.
Where should you get gut health advice?
Spector emphasises the importance of turning to trusted and verified sources for information about gut health. He points to the M&S X ZOE Gut Shot drink, explaining: "That’s why M&S came to us as ZOE, as a trusted scientific brand, to help design a product that doesn’t contain artificial chemicals and has good levels of fibre and lots of different strains of bacteria.
"This partnership between a trusted supermarket brand, in terms of quality and produce, mixed with a trusted scientific brand is what’s going to get us away from this hold that we’re in where it’s just pure marketing [dominating the gut health space]."
Customers who purchase an M&S X ZOE Gut Shot, which is a milk-based drink containing more than five billion live cultures from 14 strains of friendly bacteria, can also access a free gut health guide by scanning the QR code on the bottle.
ZOE also offers plenty of free advice on gut health through its website, newsletters, and podcast, ZOE Science and Nutrition, which features interviews with scientists about health and nutrition.
Spector is also the author of Food For Life: the New Science of Eating Well, which is a comprehensive guide to the foods that can help promote a healthy gut microbiome.
"There’s lots of ways people can get back into the real world of science and away from the slightly whacky world of the simple quick fix that you find on TikTok," he says. "I think it’s important that everyone does this and hopefully in the future, we’ll have gut health as part of everyone’s education."
Watch: Try These Probiotic-Rich Foods to Boost Your Gut Health
Read more about gut health:
How to eat 30 plants a week to boost gut health, according to Tim Spector (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
Expert predicts the 'superfoods' of 2024 that will benefit gut health (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
The best budget-friendly foods to boost your gut health (Yahoo Life UK, 4-min read)
