U.K. physician debunks common nutrition myths with evidence-based science

‘I just want sanity to be sexy’.- Dr. Idrees Mughal. If you've scrolled through social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook, you've likely encountered a flood of sensational nutritional and fitness advice. Claims about cancer-causing red dyes and detox diets for weight-loss abound. The relentless promotion of 'natural' products as the latest trend, alongside fear-inducing warnings about 'toxic' items in grocery stores, leads people into a maze of unscientific information.Dr. Idrees Mughal, known fondly as Dr. Idz, is an evidence-based educator and TikTok celebrity with millions of followers, as well as hundreds of thousands of followers on other social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. If you have never heard of him or watched his videos, you don’t know what you’re missing!I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Idz in this video available on the FriendlyPharmacy5 channel: Nutrition Myths Busted by Dr. Idz MD (youtube.com)Unlike other influencers with large platforms, Dr. Idz stands out because he is debunking these common myths and misconceptions with evidence-based science, and he isn’t afraid to confront those who are spreading misinformation head-on in his videos. Dr. Idz is a very ambitious UK-based physician with a master's degree in nutritional research and board certification in lifestyle medicine. In addition to his work on social media he is actively involved in teaching and conducting workshops, and recently published his book with Penguin Random House publishers, called “Saturated Facts.”Our interview with Dr. Idz delves deeper into his background where in order to help pay for medical school, he worked as a personal trainer and became interested in specializing in the area of clinical nutrition. The COVID-19 pandemic and the associated economic shut down were a pivotal career turning point for him as he was at home and decided to make a few videos and post them online. These quickly caught the attention of the public and very quickly he became the go-to source for dispelling myths and false claims with his new-found slogan “It’s time for school.” Interesting fact: a one-minute TikTok video clip usually takes him one to three hours of research, which includes literature review and information dissection, before getting to the actual filming and then editing and publishing process.With the rise of numerous self-proclaimed experts especially in the world of fitness and nutrition, it is increasingly difficult to separate truth from falsehood on social media. Even experts like Dr. Idz report finding it challenging to navigate and filter information with an open mind. As evidence builds up, he revisits his posts and videos to add it.Some of the very interesting myths that he addresses in this interview include:Does Red dye (RAD40) cause cancer? There's no solid evidence to prove this claim. What about the studies that show the effects of dyes on children with ADHD? Approximately 8% of children are affected, but there's no link between the dyes that are approved and those that are not. Dye-free products are readily available if this is a concern.Brown rice vs white rice. There are both extremes of claims with brown rice – the bad claim about the arsenic content, and the good claim about the higher fiber content. The truth? The difference in nutritional value between the two is one gram of additional fiber in white rice! How about the arsenic? Wash your rice is his advice. Dr. Idz explains shares details about the studies that show benefit in people with Type 2 diabetes consuming brown rice as being related to other socio-economic and lifestyle factors. He shares a great tip to reduce the glycemic index of rice by 20-30% simply by adding a small capful of vinegar when cooking. The acetic acid delays gastric emptying thereby decreasing intestinal absorption of glucose. Are alkaline diets and water better? Internal organ systems are on a delicate pH balance and offsetting this can be very dangerous. There is no evidence to the merits of an alkaline diet in literature. Dr. Idz has corrected bizarre claims about the relationship between acidic foods and menopause in women too. Why does false information spread like wild-fire? This has to do with the fact that new information is revolutionizing and exciting, while evidence-based information is not necessarily sensational. This makes the myth-busting job for Dr. Idz painstakingly difficult. It's a battle of a few against many. He acknowledges the important role of other healthcare providers who are also fighting this battle with him both online and in their communities.“Saturated Facts” by Dr. Idz – published March 2024As someone who had never considered writing a book, Dr. Idz also shared his detailed journey on how his book came to be. For a medical doctor working 70 hours per week, writing this book was a fine balancing act. He shares his struggles about writing initially at a medical literature level to bringing it down to a simple, understandable level for the general public.What are some of the concepts that stand out in this book that are also discussed in the interview?Dietary Inflammatory IndexA gold standard database algorithm that helps to determine the overall inflammatory effect of one’s diet considering all the components of the diet. Dr. Idz provides a short historical background of how this database was created. He also debunks common myths about the concept of inflammatory foods in his book.New ScienceConcepts concerning the role of microbiome, chrononutrition and sleep timing. Dr Idz explains these are emerging areas of research with chrononutrition, or meal-timing, having the most evidence. The gut microbiome is a huge area of upcoming research. Preventive HealthcareDr. Idz shares his passion in this area and the efforts by organizations towards proactive and preventive healthcare in order to prevent the chronic disease burden globally. He sees his book as one such step towards a new approach to healthcare - one that is primarily preventative. Some red flags to watch out for:Identify ‘absolutist’ statements – claims that indicate certainty for certain types of foods or similar, since there are no universally acclaimed ‘best foods’ per se due to differences between people.No reference provided, or a defensive approach when evidence is requested. Influencers who are basing their claims on information that is devoid of science often become defensive when questioned because their claims cannot be backed up by true scientific evidence.Appeal to authority – a healthcare background does not necessarily indicate the information is accurate and evidence-based yet we often see nutritionists, and even nurses using their title as a reason for people to trust them. The ability to be skeptical no matter what the individual's title might convey is an important skill.Buzzwords or catchy statements such as ‘toxic’, ‘inflammatory’, ‘clean eating’, ‘organic’, etc. that hold no context, background or evidence in nutritional science are red flags that the content is likely to be questionable to say the least. This type of fear mongering usually garners a great deal of attention unfortunately as it plays on the emotions of the viewer and tends to hold their attention. Our full interview with Dr. Idz can be found here.All of Dr.Idz’s content is available on his social media accounts. His book, “Saturated Facts,” is available here.Shaheena Fakir is a registered pharmacist in Ontario. She obtained her BPharm from Rhodes University, South Africa, and has certifications in immunizations and injections, specialty biologics injection trainer, certified diabetes educator and currently completing a certificate in pharmacogenomics. She is also a preceptor with University of Toronto for PharmD students, with OCP for SPT for registered pharmacy technicians, voluntary board member on education listserv. for IVPN-Personalized medicine as well as for pharmacy virtual advisory team (PVAT) for CPhA.Lindsay Dixon is a pharmacist, educator, health content creator, and public health ambassador for Heart Pharmacy Group. She is also the founder of Friendly Pharmacy 5 & CreateRx. For collaborations or consulting services: friendlypharmacy5@gmail.com

U.K. physician debunks common nutrition myths with evidence-based science

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