Cancer nutrition advice on social media and its influence on the patient community

Background: People living with cancer turn to online social spaces for information about diet and its role in cancer survivorship (Arends et al., 2016), yet the impact of social media on patient’s dietary behaviour is unknown. This novel study utilises Big Social Data analytics to explore how cancer diets are discussed online. Study design: A proprietary social media analytics platform (Pulsar) was used to collate over 16,000 pieces of English-language content from Twitter, Tumblr and blogs between April 1st and July 1st 2017. Data analytics and critical discourse analysis (CDA) were used to identify the scale and type of content being produced about cancer and diets globally, while exploring the influence of key individuals within this community. Results: Twitter users were the most prolific in terms of content generation, however blogs were the most highly visible (influential) platform for this audience. While the UK and US were both major hotspots for content creation, US-based ‘alternative health’ bloggers dominated the cancer nutrition conversation globally. Over half of the most visible content contradicted expert guidelines on cancer nutrition, and promoted unproven nutrition protocols for cancer recovery. The majority of top influencers appeared to have no mainstream medical or diet-related credentials and up to 80% of the most visible content was found to have a commercial agenda i.e. urging the reader to purchase a book, coaching programme or supplement. Conclusion: Cancer patients involved in these social communities are highly vulnerable to exploitation, manipulation and misinformation when it comes to nutrition. Greater engagement by nutritionists and other healthcare professionals in social research, education of patients on reputable sources of dietary information, as well as participation in these communities, would be highly valuable in protecting the interests of cancer patients.