Allergy misinformation on social media

A recent study published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice looked at popular allergy-related posts on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X to see what kind of misinformation is being shared and how people respond to it. 

The researchers found that misleading content was very common and reached millions of views. The most frequent themes were “natural” allergy cures, promotion of IgG food testing, fear-based messages about allergy medications, incorrect information about food allergies, and conspiracy-style claims about pharmaceuticals. Posts promoting natural cures tended to get the most engagement, especially on TikTok and Instagram. 

When it came to the comments, most people didn’t challenge the misinformation. Many responses were supportive or neutral, and even when posts were questioned, only a small number of commenters backed their comments up with scientific evidence. 

What does this mean? 

• Allergy misinformation spreads easily and often looks convincing 

• Claims around natural remedies and IgG testing are especially popular online 

• Most misleading content goes unchallenged 

• Patients may come to appointments already influenced by what they’ve seen online 

• Clear, evidence-based conversations and myth-busting are more important than ever 

Anaphylaxis UK is a registered UK-wide charity that develops trusted information resources and offers training and support to families, individuals, healthcare professionals, schools and businesses. As a charity, we hold the PIF TICK – the UK’s quality mark for health information. This certifies that we are a ‘trusted information creator’ and that the PDF downloads of our Factsheets are evidence-based, jargon-free, up-to-date and produced to the best possible standard. 

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