All’s not well: Health advice that is just a marketing gimmick

Is cortisol giving you belly flab? Can magnesium pills help you sleep? Is alkaline water good? Actual advice, from actual experts to counter internet wisdom

We can’t blame Gwyneth Paltrow for everything. Sure, she made yoni eggs a thing, and got us thinking about candles that smell like nether regions. But most wellness trends of the past few years are our own fault. Techies convinced themselves that Soylent could hack nutrition. Asian influencers had us sold on jade rollers and gua shas. We hated oil. We cut out carbs. We counted footsteps. We avoided sugar only to find out that aspartame is worse. We added lemon and cucumber to giant water bottles and gave up quickly.

If you want to get a magnesium fix, best to seek out foods rich in it, such as leafy greens, beans, and seeds. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Targeted exercises cannot reduce fat in a single area. Strength training is a better approach. (ADOBE STOCK)

There’s no evidence that the higher pH value of alkaline water can neutralise acid in the bloodstream. (SHUTTERSTOCK)

Cortisol is only partly to blame for bloated tummies. It’s also brought on by inactivity. (ADOBE STOCK)