Health
‘SkinnyTok’ weight-loss trend could lead to food deprivation, experts caution
Social media can be a great source of fitness, nutrition and wellness tips — but it also has some potentially harmful content.
Enter “SkinnyTok,” a popular weight-loss trend making the rounds on TikTok.
Creators are pairing the hashtag with videos that share various ways to lose weight, many of them based on the goal of getting as thin as possible in a short amount of time.
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As of April 26, there were more than 60,000 videos from creators talking about SkinnyTok. One of those is Mandana Zarghami, 25, a business owner and influencer in Miami, Florida.
“What you eat in private will show in public,” Zarghami told her followers in a recent video.
The influencer spoke with Fox News Digital about her perception of the worldwide SkinnyTok trend.
“There’s an emphasis on portion control, prioritizing daily movement and knowing what foods will make you feel better from the inside out and more,” she said.
The creator acknowledged, however, that some of the content could be triggering for those who have battled disordered eating.
Mandana Zarghami, a TikTok creator, acknowledged that some of the SkinnyTok content could be triggering for those who have battled disordered eating. (Mandana Zarghami/TikTok)
“While some content under the SkinnyTok trend can promote motivation around health and wellness, it can also unintentionally glamorize unhealthy habits or unrealistic body standards if you’re following the wrong influencer or content creator,” Zarghami cautioned.
At the same time, she said, “you control what you consume.”
“What you eat in private will show in public.”
“It’s a little hard to be sensitive to each group, because a lot of the people who talk about SkinnyTok on their platforms also battled disordered eating and overcame it with healthy lifestyle choices,” Zarghami added.
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, said he has witnessed the “devastating consequences” of extreme thinness firsthand, including women with fractured bones caused by malnutrition.
“This is a growing crisis, and it is being dangerously celebrated on social media under hashtags like #SkinnyTok,” he told Fox News Digital.
“It’s a little hard to be sensitive to each group, because a lot of the people who talk about SkinnyTok on their platforms also battled disordered eating and overcame it with healthy lifestyle choices,” said influencer Mandana Zarghami (right). (iStock/TikTok-Mandana Zarghami)
“When young people chase after extreme thinness through starvation diets, they invite frailty into their lives. The body, deprived of caloric energy, becomes extremely fragile.”
In teenagers and young adults, malnutrition disrupts hormones, weakens immunity, impairs cognitive function and can cause lasting damage to their still-developing brains, according to Osborn.
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Physical effects of malnutrition can include hair loss, reduced bone density and, in severe cases, irreversible structural damage, he added.
Low body weight or minimal body fat does not equate to good health, the doctor said.
“Starvation is not a virtue – it is an abandonment of the body’s nutritional needs,” he said. “The SkinnyTok trend preys on impressionable youth, particularly young women, encouraging them to shrink rather than thrive.”
Low body weight or minimal body fat does not equate to good health, one doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Rather than focusing on “extreme thinness,” Osborn called for a focus on building muscle, which he described as the “cornerstone of vitality.”
“In older adults, muscle loss — or sarcopenia — is a medical warning sign linked to increased risks of falls, fractures, hospitalizations, cognitive decline and even mortality,” he cautioned.
“Muscle loss doesn’t just weaken the body — it erodes the mind, hastening the onset and progression of dementia. The body and the brain are interconnected, and when one suffers, so does the other.”
“Muscles are your shield against disease and decline. Being lean and strong, not thin and frail, is the true measure of health,” one doctor said. (iStock)
To those embracing the SkinnyTok trend, Osborn recommends that they shift the focus to building muscle.
“Muscles are your shield against disease and decline. Being lean and strong, not thin and frail, is the true measure of health,” he said.
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“Instead of glorifying starvation, we should teach our youth to nourish their bodies and minds, build resilience through muscle gained by strength training, and prioritize bodily function over any short-lived trend.”
Dr. Jillian Lampert, vice president of The Emily Program, an eating disorder treatment center based in Minnesota, also called out the potential risks of the SkinnyTok trend.
“It is a vicious cycle that quickly spirals from external messaging to internal criticism.”
“This content dangerously glorifies content that encourages people to take drastic measures to change their bodies,” she told Fox News Digital. “It also further ensnares people already struggling with their body image and thoughts of size and shape, reinforcing the notion that being thin at all costs is the norm.”
The behaviors in many of the videos are “often extreme” and highly limit foods or food groups, Lampert noted.
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The algorithms used by social media platforms make the content even more dangerous by amplifying the messages, according to the expert.
“Looking at one TikTok with even some less toxic body image content will teach the algorithms to send you more and more and more until your feed has become an avalanche of toxic content,” Lampert warned.
As people scroll through countless videos of “ideal” bodies and lifestyles, this often leads them to conclude that they’re not thin enough or attractive enough.
“This content dangerously glorifies content that encourages people to take drastic measures to change their bodies,” one expert told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
“Continual assessment of appearance and eating habits can make a person hypercritical and hyper-fixated on perceived flaws, thus fueling the cycle of eating less, which often leads to overeating and overexercising, which often leads to fatigue and loss of control around food,” said Lampert.
“It is a vicious cycle that quickly spirals from external messaging to internal criticism.”
Dr. Anastasia Rairigh, a Tennessee-based family physician and obesity medicine specialist at the virtual health platform PlushCare, warned that extreme weight-loss behaviors can be deadly.
“As a person severely limits their caloric intake, the body struggles to maintain the correct electrolyte balance,” she shared with Fox News Digital.
“When a person’s electrolytes are severely unbalanced, they can experience heart arrythmias or, in severe cases, cardiac arrest. Even if a person does not experience this, severe food deprivation can lead to damage to the heart, bones and brain.”
“Many of us that promote SkinnyTok focus on proper nutrition, walking over 10,000 steps a day and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle,” a creator told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
People who deprive themselves of food may also notice effects on cognition, mood and sleep, Rairigh warned.
“Modeling a healthy attitude toward food is critically important to combating the negative influence of toxic diet culture,” she said, recommending that people focus on food as a source of energy rather than an enemy.
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“Supporting young people to focus on activities and interests outside social media has been shown to be helpful as well,” she said.
“Encourage and facilitate positive activities in the real world as a counter to time spent on social media.”
“Modeling a healthy attitude toward food is critically important to combating the negative influence of toxic diet culture.”
Those who are showing signs of disordered eating should see a doctor, Rairigh advised.
“While disordered eating is deadly, there is hope and treatment. Do not be afraid to reach out for help.”
Zarghami, the TikTok creator, reiterated the importance of setting positive examples on social media.
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“Many of us that promote SkinnyTok focus on proper nutrition, walking over 10,000 steps a day and promoting a healthy and active lifestyle,” she told Fox News Digital.
“It’s so important to approach these trends with balance, focus on overall well-being rather than appearance, and encourage sustainable, nourishing choices that support both physical and mental health.”
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A popular class of weight-loss drugs may prevent life-threatening cardiac complications by opening microscopic blood vessels that often remain blocked after a heart attack, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications.
The research, led by the University of Bristol and University College London, identified a biological brain-gut-heart signaling pathway.
This discovery appears to explain how GLP-1 drugs — which mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar and appetite — protect heart tissue from a condition known as “no-reflow.”
“In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny blood vessels within the heart muscle remain narrowed, even after the main artery is cleared during emergency medical treatment,” Dr. Svetlana Mastitskaya, the study’s lead author and a senior lecturer at Bristol Medical School, said in a press release.
“This results in a complication known as ‘no-reflow,’ where blood is unable to reach certain parts of the heart tissue.”
In nearly half of all heart attack patients, tiny capillaries (blood vessels) remain narrowed even after the main blocked artery is cleared. (iStock)
This lack of blood flow increases the risk of heart failure and death within a year. GLP-1 medications could prevent this, according to the researchers.
How it works
When the GLP-1 hormone is released in the gut or administered as a drug, it sends a signal to the brain, which then sends a signal to the heart that switches on special potassium channels in tiny cells called pericytes.
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When these channels open, the pericytes relax, which allows the small blood vessels (capillaries) to widen and improve blood flow to the heart muscle, the researchers noted.
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The new study used animal models and cellular imaging to track how GLP-1 interacts with heart tissue. When the researchers removed the potassium channels, the drugs no longer protected the heart — confirming they play a key role.
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments. (iStock)
The findings suggest that existing GLP-1 medications, already used for type 2 diabetes and obesity, could be repurposed as emergency treatments during or immediately after a heart attack to reduce tissue damage.
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The researchers noted several limitations, including that the study relied on animal models.
Clinical trials are necessary to determine whether the brain-gut-heart pathway operates with the same timing and efficacy in humans.
While the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it des not establish whether long-term use of these drugs provides a pre-existing level of protection. (iStock)
Additionally, while the study highlights the drug’s immediate benefits during a heart attack, it does not establish whether long-term use of the medication provides a pre-existing level of protection.
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The research was primarily funded by the British Heart Foundation.
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Collagen supplements have exploded in popularity, touted as everything from an anti-aging miracle to a muscle recovery booster.
But a sweeping new review conducted by U.K. researchers suggests that while collagen may help improve skin elasticity and ease arthritis pain, it does little for athletic performance or wrinkle reduction.
Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University analyzed 16 systematic reviews and 113 randomized controlled trials involving nearly 8,000 participants worldwide, which they say is the most extensive evaluation of collagen’s health effects to date.
The review found consistent evidence that collagen supplementation improves skin elasticity and hydration over time and provides significant relief from osteoarthritis-related joint pain and stiffness, according to findings published in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum.
A large U.K. review found that collagen supplements may improve skin elasticity and hydration over time. (iStock)
The researchers, however, did not find meaningful improvements in post-exercise muscle recovery, soreness or tendon mechanical properties (strength, springiness and stretch resistance).
“Collagen is not a cure-all, but it does have credible benefits when used consistently over time, particularly for skin and osteoarthritis,” co-author Lee Smith, professor of public health at Anglia Ruskin University, said in a statement.
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“Our findings show clear benefits in key areas of healthy aging, while also dispelling some of the myths surrounding its use,” Smith added.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in the body, supports skin, bones, tendons, cartilage and connective tissue, according to experts. Natural collagen production begins to drop in early adulthood and declines more sharply with age.
The study found that collagen supplements may help reduce joint pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis. (iStock)
The review found that long-term collagen supplementation was linked to improved skin firmness and hydration, but did not help skin roughness — a proxy for visible wrinkles.
Benefits appear to accumulate gradually, suggesting that collagen should not be viewed as an “anti-wrinkle ‘quick fix,’ but as a foundational dermal support for individuals seeking holistic skin maintenance,” the researchers said.
“If we define anti-aging as a product or technique designed to prevent the appearance of getting older, then I believe our findings do support this claim for some parameters,” Smith told the BBC. “For example, an improvement in skin tone and moisture is associated with a more youthful-looking appearance.”
Collagen supplementation was linked to reduced pain and stiffness in people with osteoarthritis, with stronger benefits seen over longer periods of use, and showed modest improvements in muscle mass and tendon structure that may support healthy aging.
Collagen did not significantly improve skin roughness, a marker of visible wrinkles. (iStock)
However, it did not show meaningful results when used as a fast-acting sports performance supplement, and evidence for benefits related to cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure and oral health was mixed or inconclusive.
Dr. Daniel Ghiyam, a California-based physician and longevity specialist, said the findings align with what he sees in clinical practice.
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“Collagen is a targeted support tool, not a foundation of health or performance,” Ghiyam, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. “When marketed that way, it makes sense. When marketed as a cure-all, it doesn’t hold up to the data.”
The authors noted that while many previous collagen studies have received financial support from the supplement industry, the current review did not receive industry funding.
Experts say collagen supplements may offer modest benefits for skin hydration and joint comfort, but they are not a cure-all. (iStock)
The team called for more high-quality clinical trials examining long-term outcomes, optimal dosages and differences between collagen sources, such as marine, bovine and plant-based alternatives.
Among its limitations, the review could not determine whether certain forms of collagen work better than others or what the optimal regimen should be.
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While the review included randomized controlled trials, the quality of the studies varied, with newer research generally showing stronger results.
Experts say more data and studies are needed to build on the findings. They also noted that diet plays a crucial role in skin health.
Collagen supplements, often sold as powders or pills, may improve skin elasticity and ease joint pain, experts say. (iStock)
Dr. Erum Ilyas, a Pennsylvania-based dermatologist and chair of dermatology at Drexel University College of Medicine, noted that the review analyzed previously published meta-analyses rather than generating new primary data.
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“At this time, I have not seen sufficiently strong independent evidence to routinely recommend collagen supplements to my patients,” Ilyas, who was not involved in the review, told Fox News Digital.
“Although some studies show modest improvements in markers such as hydration and elasticity, there remains limited independent, biopsy-confirmed evidence demonstrating sustained increases in dermal collagen content,” she added.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the researchers for comment.
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