5 Gut Health TikTok Trends to Question or Avoid
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TikTok has become a growing source of information for gut health. With hashtags like #guttok, #guthealing, #guthealthmatters, and yes, #pooptok, it’s pretty clear that matters of the gut have populated the platform.
While many gastroenterologists and other gastrointestinal (GI) health experts have joined TikTok in an effort to promote evidence-based advice and solutions, most #guttok videos aren’t made by experts in the field. Instead, a #guttok video will often feature a person giving #wellnesstips on how to improve #digestion — or, sometimes, a #guthealing path to #weightloss.
“I think it’s great that people are advocating to pay attention to GI symptoms,” says Yuying Luo, MD, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City. But when it comes to claims made in these videos, she says, “Not a lot of them have evidence behind it.”
Sometimes, #guttok content promotes a product for sale — such as a nutritional or probiotic (healthy bacteria) supplement, or what is often touted as a “colon cleanse” or “colon detox” solution. It should go without saying that you shouldn’t trust content that’s trying to sell you something — after all, there is a strong incentive to show that it works miraculously.
But even when #guttok isn’t promoting any particular product, a healthy dose of skepticism may be in order. While many gut health hacks are unlikely to harm you, there is often no good reason to believe that they will help in the way that they claim.
Here are five #guttok trends that you should either run by a trusted source (like your doctor) before following or avoid altogether.
1. Colon Cleanse or Detox Protocols
You might want to avoid products or regimens that claim to clean out your colon or purge it of toxins. Typically offered in beverage or shake form, they often include ingredients like lemon juice, honey, or cayenne pepper.
There is a fundamental problem with the idea that a colon cleanse or detox is needed or beneficial in most cases, according to Chris Damman, MD, a gastroenterologist and clinical associate professor of medicine at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle and editor in chief of Gut Bites MD, a blog that provides evidence-based tips for gut health.
“The time when you want to purge your colon of food and microbes might be before a colonoscopy,” Dr. Damman says, in which case your doctor will prescribe a medication for this purpose. Otherwise, he says, there is no reason to try to flush out the contents of your colon — a healthy colon contains a variety of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms (known as your gut microbiome), as well as mostly digested food that is on its way to becoming poop.
And it’s simply not the case that your colon is a receptacle for toxins that can leach out into your body. “A buildup of toxins is not the best way of thinking about how the colon works,” says Damman. “In healthy individuals, the colon and a well nourished microbiome are actually producing tons of very helpful molecules that are important for regulating our immune system, our metabolism, and even our cognition and mood.”
One such helpful molecule produced by gut bacteria, according to Damman, is butyrate — part of a broader category of molecules called short-chain fatty acids. Among other potentially beneficial effects, butyrate may help reduce appetite and activate brown fat tissue in your body, according to an article published in Gut.
The next time you come across a colon cleanse or detox remedy on TikTok, remember that for optimal gut health your colon needs to be nourished with fiber and other nutrients — not cleaned out.
2. Gut Repair or “Leaky Gut” Solutions
The claim that a product or method will repair your damaged or leaky gut — such as drinking bone broth or taking shots of olive oil — may not be what it’s cracked up to be. In most cases, there isn’t any evidence backing up the supposed problem or the solution.
“The issue with ‘leaky gut’ is that the term has been coopted,” explains Dr. Luo, and is now being used on #guttok and elsewhere to explain a range of digestive problems. In some people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), she says, “There may be defects in the lining of the gut that expose it to contents and can lead to symptoms. The technical term is intestinal permeability.”
But various wellness practitioners claim that “leaky gut” is far more widespread than evidence suggests it may be, says Luo. What’s more, “Currently there is no targeted therapy or dietary strategy that we would recommend to specifically address intestinal permeability,” she adds.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with sipping bone broth in moderation — just don’t expect it to heal your gut. “Many but not all commercially available bone broths are full of micronutrients, compared with standard off-the shelf chicken or beef stock,” says Damman. “If you’re considering using bone broth in a soup, for example, consider finding the ones that are higher in potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron.”
And while olive oil also won’t repair your gut on its own, it contains a healthy balance of fats. In the case of extra-virgin olive oil, it also contains polyphenols — a type of antioxidant that may help reduce inflammation in your gut and throughout your body, as noted in a research review. “Polyphenols are bitter, so that fruity or nutty flavor that you’re familiar with is in large part due to that,” Damman notes.
3. DIY Fermented Foods
Fermented foods and beverages like yogurt, kimchi, and kombucha undergo a process in which bacteria grow in a controlled environment, converting carbohydrates or fiber in the food into an acid. This bacteria-produced acid — lactic acid in the case of yogurt, and acetic acid (vinegar) in plant-based fermented foods — gives the foods their characteristic sour flavor, according to Damman.
“In general, fermented foods have a variety of health benefits because they have a lot of probiotics and bioactive compounds that form during fermentation,” says Luo. But the key question when it comes to do-it-yourself (DIY) fermentation on #guttok, she says, is, “Is this the correct process to promote the growth of the probiotics that are good for gut health?” What’s more, she notes, “You have no idea if they actually have gone through the entire process” to make something.
If you’re determined to make your own fermented foods rather than buying them — something Luo doesn’t encourage — she urges people to seek out guidance from a reputable, trusted source to make sure you aren’t growing harmful bacteria that can make you sick. “If it’s a chef, that’s a different story from your average TikToker,” she notes. But you’ll need much more detailed instructions than a TikTok video typically shows, and a willingness to follow them exactly. Otherwise, stick to store-bought fermented foods.
4. Laxatives for Weight Loss
On #guttok, people claim that taking a laxative regularly has helped them lose weight — a claim that, if true, should be a giant red flag.
“In patients who are constipated, sometimes it’s necessary” to take a laxative, says Luo. “If there’s a lot of stool in the colon, a mini clean-out can get rid of the stool. Some people are really uncomfortable in terms of bloating and abdominal pain.”
But the goal of taking a laxative, Luo emphasizes, is to relieve the symptoms caused by constipation, not to lose weight. If someone is using a laxative to lose weight, that means they’re essentially passing undigested food — resulting in diarrhea. That can be dangerous if it goes on for more than a short period of time, since you won’t be absorbing enough fluids from your GI tract.
When you lose fluids due to diarrhea, “The kidneys are actually great at regulating that, but at some point, you could injure your kidneys, and they could be less able to regulate the amount of potassium in your body, for example,” says Luo. The bottom line is that you should only use a laxative as directed to relieve symptoms, after consulting with your doctor.
5. Fasting for Gut Health
Fasting — not eating for a period of time — has been practiced for centuries in different forms in different cultures, Damman notes. There’s nothing inherently wrong with fasting in most cases, and the practice has been linked to certain health benefits.
One research review found that intermittent fasting is linked to possible metabolic benefits — including fat loss and better blood glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes — but is also linked to negative emotions like irritability, anxiety, and fatigue. Another review found that across 22 studies with different populations and fasting regimens, intermittent fasting led to changes in the composition of gut bacteria that may help regulate body functions and promote a healthy metabolism.
Fasting may improve GI symptoms for some people because, Damman explains, “You’re putting less into your GI tract, so it’s giving your colon a relative pause.” But there’s not much evidence that fasting has any general benefits for gut health in people who aren’t experiencing any unpleasant symptoms like cramping or bloating.
Luo says that when it comes to unpleasant GI symptoms, “I know people are struggling and they want to find answers.” She doesn’t discourage people from seeking information or ideas online, but she emphasizes that you should discuss anything you’d like to try with your doctor. “If you want to try something, tell me why, and I’ll tell you if I think there is a better alternative or a safer way to do it,” she explains.
“There are a lot of benefits that can come with learning online,” Luo continues. “But when it comes to what you put in your body, people should be careful.”
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