The trend: Online tools have surpassed medical experts for wellness advice. Social media influencers (both credentialed medical professionals and uncredentialed) and AI now have more sway than doctors over decisions about diet, nutrition, wellness, longevity, and supplements, per a March 2026 Edelman survey of global consumers.

Editor’s note: This article pulls information from our just-published “The Health and Wellness 2026” report.

Online content is driving the wellness boom in other ways, too:

Social media guides protein choices. Gen Zers and millennials are about three times more likely than Gen Xers and older generations (20% versus 7%, respectively) to say creators and influencers shape their views on protein consumption, per a February 2026 survey from The New Consumer and Coefficient Capital.

TikTok Shop is a health product destination. It’s the fourth-largest health and beauty ecommerce retailer in the US, per NIQ, with vitamins and supplements the largest subcategory within health and beauty.

Why it matters: The shift to nontraditional health advice has fueled a surge in misleading online health claims and unvalidated, unregulated products. Recent examples include products falsely marketed as GLP-1 medications, scam health ads on Facebook promoting supplements with deceptive medical claims, and the illegal promotion and sale of peptides on social media platforms and messaging apps.

Healthcare providers are often left to clean up the fallout of online medical misinformation, in part because patients aren’t consulting them enough about wellness choices. Nearly 9 in 10 (89%) physicians have had to correct false or misleading information about supplements that patients encountered online, per a December 2025 Tebra survey. About 75% of providers in the survey said patients choose supplements independently or based on online sources rather than with professional guidance.

Implications for health and wellness brands and marketers: Clinicians remain trusted, but consumers don’t consult them often enough for wellness decisions, per a September 2025 GCI Health survey, leaving other sources to fill the gap.

Doctor buy-in and medical-level validation can set brands apart in a saturated market full of products making vague marketing claims.

• Position wellness as complementary to traditional care rather than a replacement for it. Demonstrate how products such as wearables or supplements reinforce standard care, such as driving behavioral change or integrating safely with medications, helping consumers manage their care alongside physician guidance.
• Cultivate physician advocacy to strengthen credibility. Partner with clinicians as trusted brand advocates who can explain how your products fit into broader wellness goals, such as nutrition support for GLP-1 users or fitness habits tied to muscle gain and weight loss. In a category where many brands position themselves against mainstream medicine, physician endorsement can reinforce safety, efficacy, and long-term trust among consumers and healthcare professionals.

Explore the full report for deeper insights into the health and wellness market, including actionable recommendations for brands and marketers.