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Want to lose weight? live longer? Reduce your stress levels, control your blood sugar or optimize your sleep? An influencer wants to tell you how to do it. And a new report shows that many Americans are listening.<\/p>\n
Half of American adults under 50 are now getting health and wellness information from influencers or podcasters, according to An analysis published on Thursday<\/a> By Pew Research Center. The report, which analyzed the profiles of nearly 13,000 health and wellness accounts with at least 100,000 followers on social media, also provides a window into who is actually giving the advice.<\/p>\n Less than one in five were traditional medical professionals, such as doctors, dentists or nurses. Many people listed another qualification in their biography, describing themselves as a diet or life coach, entrepreneur or parent.<\/p>\n The study found that these accounts had a wide reach: 8 percent had more than one million followers. And nearly half of consumers of this content said influencers have helped them better understand how to stay healthy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “We’re grossly underestimating wellness influencers,” said Maria Wellman, who studies digital wellness communities at Michigan State University. “They now shape not only what we buy or wear,” he said, but also “influence our lifestyle choices, what we put into our bodies.”<\/p>\n The fact that many of the most influential health creators are not part of the medical establishment is not entirely surprising, said Rachel Moran, a health misinformation researcher at the University of Washington. In fact, this may be a big part of their appeal.<\/p>\n