TikTok’s gout advice is everywhere and doctors say it’s often wrong
A new study finds that TikTok videos about gout frequently spread confusing or inaccurate advice. Most clips focus on diet changes and supplements, while barely mentioning the long-term treatments doctors say are essential for controlling the disease. Many videos also frame gout as a lifestyle problem, rather than a condition driven largely by genetics and underlying health factors. Researchers say the platform has huge potential—but only if accurate medical voices step in.
A recent study published in Rheumatology Advances in Practice by Oxford University Press suggests that many TikTok videos discussing gout contain misleading, inconsistent, or incorrect information.
Gout is a painful form of inflammatory arthritis caused by excess urate in the blood. When urate levels rise too high, crystals can form and collect in the joints, leading to intense pain and swelling. Around forty-one million people worldwide are affected by gout, and doctors diagnose roughly seven million new cases each year.
Despite how common the condition is, understanding of gout remains limited among both patients and the general public. Medical guidelines from rheumatology organizations recommend long-term urate-lowering therapy as the most effective way to manage gout. Even so, many patients do not have their condition well controlled.
Social Media's Growing Role in Health Information
Social media is nearly universal, with about 98% of people aged 12 years or older using at least one platform. People living with health conditions are especially active, with 52% sharing health-related information online. TikTok stands out because of its massive reach, with 1.2 billion users worldwide and a strong influence on how people form beliefs and make health decisions.
In one survey of 1,172 women aged 18 to 29 years, roughly 70% said they deliberately searched for health information on TikTok. An even larger share, 92%, reported encountering health content there without actively looking for it.
How Researchers Analyzed Gout Content on TikTok
To better understand what users are seeing, researchers searched for the term "gout" on TikTok's discover page and reviewed the first two hundred videos that appeared on December 5, 2024. The most common presenters were people living with gout or their close family members (27%). Health professionals accounted for 24% of the videos, while members of the general public made up 23%.
The videos had different goals. About 38% aimed to offer health advice, 20% focused on sharing personal experiences with gout, and 19% were designed to promote or sell products.
Diet and Supplements Dominate Gout Advice
Nearly half of the videos, about 45%, mentioned risk factors for gout, most often pointing to diet and lifestyle choices (90%). A much larger share, 79%, discussed ways to manage gout, with dietary guidance taking center stage.
Some videos listed foods to avoid. One example featured a patient hospitalized for gout who told viewers that they "can reduce your incidences of gout if you cut back on your salt, your alcohol, and your red meat." Many videos also promoted supplements, herbal products, or home remedies, including items marketed as "pills made from pure herbs, with no hormones and no side effects."