ArticleNaunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology2025
Disinformation on dietary supplements by German influencers on Instagram.
Article in Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers.
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed.
- Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2026Review
- Quality, reliability, and engagement of COPD-related videos on Chinese short-form video platforms: a cross-sectional content analysis.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Development of a Theory-Based Nutrition Education Program Targeting Varsity Athletes at a Canadian University.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Post-marketing surveillance of cordyceps products online: identifying falsified products and regulatory challenges.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Development and validation of a tool for detecting misinformation risk in diet, nutrition, and health content (Diet-MisRAT).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Pharmacological topics of interest for young people: misinformation on TikTok is common.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- From labels to influencers: evaluating the alignment of nitrate and beetroot juice claims on sports supplement marketing with scientific consensus.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Beyond nutritional knowledge: Dietary supplement use in preschool children.Northern clinics of Istanbul · 2026Article
- Psychological manipulation mechanisms of false fitness and supplement information and public health risks: from information manipulation to behavioral decision-making.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Predatory marketing and false health promotion on social media: risk pathways in diet, fitness, and supplement communication.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- [Misinformation and disinformation about dietary supplements in social media: limiting the risks, seizing the opportunities, and shaping structures].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025Article
- [Food supplements in the context of social media: results from a survey on use and perceptions in Germany].Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A significant proportion of the German population regularly consumes dietary supplements (NEM), and the market for these products is growing steadily. Dietary supplements are subject to food law and not pharmaceutical law. There are no official limits for the dosages of vitamins and minerals in Germany-only recommendations from institutions such as the Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) or the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). Dietary supplements are strongly advertised on Instagram in particular. In Germany, Instagram is the most popular social network and many influencers use the platform to promote dietary supplements. In this paper, the ingredients of 105 dietary supplements promoted by German influencers on Instagram from 2021 to 2023 were analyzed. This analysis was based on various parameters, such as dosage form, daily therapy costs, overdose warnings, presence of dosage information, exceeding the recommended maximum daily amounts and tolerable upper intake levels (UL) for vitamins and minerals and information on adverse effects, drug interactions, and contraindications. About two-thirds of the intensively advertised dietary supplements exceeded the recommended maximum daily amounts of the Bundesinstitut für Risikobewertung (BfR) for vitamins and minerals without the influencers pointing out the negative effects of an overdose. Dietary supplements were frequently advertised on Instagram with discount codes, promising supplement names and promises of effectiveness and were often presented as a panacea. In contrast, information on dosing, daily costs, adverse effects, contraindications, and risks of overdosing were insufficiently addressed by influencers. Overall, influencers on Instagram disinform rather than inform consumers on dietary supplements, opening the door for intoxications. Therefore, legal action is required to prevent disinformation by influencers on social media.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.