From carrot juice challenges to DIY supplements, TikTok wellness trends are capturing the public imagination, and sometimes causing unexpected effects.
On The Anton Savage Show , GP Dr. Eleanor Galvin discussed some of the stranger health fads she’s encountered, highlighting both the harmless and the unusual.
One listener claimed that drinking large amounts of carrot juice had turned them orange.
“If you eventually drink enough carrot juice, you will turn yourself orange…non-harmful but non-permanent,” Dr. Galvin said.
“When you stop your carrot-drinking regime, you go back to being normal colour.”
Dr. Galvin compared it to a 1990s fad, noting that social media has revived old health experiments with a new audience. “It’s like back to the 90s and the Sunny D drink, people are doing these things again with TikTok,” she said.
Other trending health products, such as magnesium supplements, were also discussed. While widely believed to improve sleep or reduce facial tics, the scientific evidence is limited.
“There’s actually no definitive study to say it makes…does anything for anything apart from muscles,” Dr. Galvin explained.
“If it doesn’t make you any worse and it makes you feel better, I’m all for it.”
The conversation highlighted a growing tension between social media-inspired wellness and medically backed advice. Dr. Galvin warned that while many fads are relatively harmless, some can carry risks if taken to extremes.
“People with a certain air of disgust watch these things on TikTok and try them,” she said, cautioning listeners to proceed carefully.
While some of these trends are lighthearted experiments, they reflect a larger cultural phenomenon. TikTok’s reach has made unconventional wellness practices a daily spectacle, blending curiosity, health, and sometimes spectacle.
Dr. Galvin suggested moderation and common sense.
“If it works for you, great. If not, stop,” she said. “There’s a lot of advice online, take what makes sense for you.”
Anne Marie Roberts
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