Calvin Harris this week shocked fans after sharing photos of his wife Vick Hope’s placenta, in a post announcing the birth of their first child.
Instagram images appearing to show the organ being de-hydrated and turned into pills—which have since been hit with an age restriction by the social media site—sparked debate online.
Some people claim that eating the placenta after a baby is born has a range of health benefits for new mothers—replenishing iron levels after giving birth and lessening symptoms of post-natal depression.
But health bodies including the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) have long warned there is little evidence at all to support the claims and could even lead to dangerous infections.
Since the Scottish DJ’s post, several doctors have criticised the move, arguing ‘no healthcare professional with any integrity would endorse these pills’.
It has also sparked renewed debate around health information—or misinformation—shared online to millions of people.
Experts have long warned that growing levels of celeb health endorsements can pose a risk to wellbeing—surveys also suggest that just two per cent of health advice published on social media aligns with public health guidelines.
Here, the Daily Mail reflects on five celeb endorsed health claims that have since been debunked by medical professionals.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘garbage’ Goop egg
In 2017, Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle brand Goop infamously released $66 jade ‘Yoni eggs.’
Goop claimed its jade and rose quartz eggs, which are inserted into the vagina, could balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles and strengthen pelvic muscles.
A since-deleted Goop article also claimed the eggs were ‘ideal for detox’ and create ‘kidney strength.’
But soon after the product launched world-leading gynecologist Dr Jen Gunter warned the jade egg could lead to toxic shock syndrome, pelvic pain or painful sex.
In an open letter, the author of bestselling books, The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto, added: ‘I read the post on GOOP and all I can tell you is it is the biggest load of garbage I have read on your site since vaginal steaming.
‘It’s even worse than claiming bras cause cancer. But hey, you aren’t one to let facts get in the way of profiting from snake oil.’
In 2018, Goop faced legal action, brought by California’s consumer protection office, over its unscientific claims about the vaginal eggs and agreed to pay $145,000 (£108,000).
Kim Kardashian’s ‘damaging’ weight loss advice
In 2018, Kim Kardashian faced fierce backlash over a controversial Instagram post promoting a lollipop which acts as an appetite-suppressant.
Kardashian shared an image of herself sucking on the diet snack alongside the caption: ‘Plugging the product she captioned the shot: ‘#ad You guys… @flattummyco just dropped a new product. They’re Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they’re literally unreal.
Months later, she promoted meal replacement shakes by the same company, claiming she was ‘already feeling so good’.
At the time, experts argued there was no evidence that this type of diet works well to improve health or even weight loss long term and is only likely to be recommended for severely obese individuals who are at risk of developing diabetes.
Even then, this would be done in a controlled environment with medical experts, they added.
Months later, following a slew of similar posts by other celebrities, England’s top doctor even urged social media companies to ban ‘damaging’ celebrity-endorsed social media ads promoting weight loss aids.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the now former NHS medical director, said: ‘If a product sounds like it is too good to be true, then it probably is.
‘The risks of quick-fix weight loss outweigh the benefits, and advertising these products without a health warning is damaging.
‘Highly influential celebrities are letting down the very people who look up to them, by peddling products which are at best ineffective and at worst harmful.
‘Social media companies have a duty to stamp out the practice of individuals and companies using their platform to target young people with products known to risk ill health.’
‘Snake oil’ ear seeds backed by Steven Bartlett
Health experts were also stunned last year after Giselle Boxer, from Sheffield, received offers from all six judges on the BBC show Dragons’ Den, for a stake in her business Acu Seeds.
The mother-of-one ultimately accepted £50,000 from Dragon Steven Bartlett for 12.5 per cent of the business, which sells packets of gold – or silver-plated ‘ear seeds’ for £30.
The seeds, acupuncture beads placed in the ear which falsely claim to cure chronic fatigue condition myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
ME—myalgic encephalomyelitis—is a disabling, complex illness that affects 250,000 people in the UK.
Also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, or ME/CFS, symptoms include pain, brain fog, fatigue and an inability to recover after expending even small amounts of energy.
The episode prompted a furious backlash from doctors and ME patients, who accused her of selling ‘snake oil’ preying on the ‘most vulnerable and horribly ill people in society’ with no scientific backing to help ME.
Such was the furore that it sparked complaints to both the BBC and the Advertising Standards Authority.
At the time, Professor David Strain, senior clinical lecturer at the University of Exeter told the Daily Mail: ‘There is evidence to suggest acupuncture helps with some types of pain. And some patients I’ve worked with have said acupuncture has helped with their fatigue.
‘There’s next to zero evidence ear seeds actually have the same effect as acupuncture.’
Tom Cruise’s antidepressant rant
In a 2005 interview, Tom Cruise criticised actress Brooke Shields’ memoir ‘Down Came the Rain,’ in which she admitted she was prescribed antidepressants to help treat her postnatal depression.
He said: ‘Here is a woman, and I care about Brooke Shields because I think she is an incredibly talented woman. You look at, where has her career gone?… These drugs are dangerous.
‘The thing that I’m saying about Brooke is that there’s misinformation.
‘She doesn’t understand the history of psychiatry… she doesn’t know what these drugs are, and for her to promote it is irresponsible.’
He added the drugs ‘don’t cure anything’ and said: ”You can use vitamins to help a woman through those things’.
Cruise was widely slammed at the time, with Shields taking a swipe at his Scientology beliefs: ‘Has he had a baby? Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women decide which treatment is best for them.’
In 2006, Shields revealed Cruise had come to her house to personally apologise.
Under NHS guidance, antidepressants may be recommended for postnatal depression, particularly for moderate to severe cases or when other treatments, such as talking therapy, has not helped.
Doctors will prescribe medication that is safe to take while breastfeeding.
Kourtney Kardashian’s vaginal wellness gummies
She might be one of the world’s most famous reality TV stars, but Kourtney Kardashian has since moved into the world of wellness.
In 2022, she launched a line of supplements called Lemme, but a year later a new addition to her range—vaginal wellness gummies—sparked fierce backlash from experts.
The probiotic claimed to ‘specifically target vaginal health and pH levels to support freshness and odour’.
But gynecologists said there was ‘no merit’ to the claim that the tablets can ‘target’ vaginal wellness.
Dr Jen Gunter said: ‘Anyone who suggests that your vagina isn’t fresh or needs an improved taste is a misogynist and awful person.’
LloydsPharmacy also said it was ‘normal for vaginas and vaginal fluids to have a slight smell, which will vary according to hormones, activity, hygiene and diet’.
