Case. Digging into the pseudo-expert scene
Case
Note: some data may be changed without affecting the main narrative.
One of the trendy topics in the pseudo-expert scene nowadays is nutritionology and sports medicine.
It all started with the appeal of a girl who said that her sister bought a course from this person and, unfortunately, ended up in the hospital. Let me say right away that her sister did not have the purpose to sue or file a police report (to do this against a person with a considerable number of subscribers and money is not very reliable), she wanted to understand what kind of expert and how to recognize such pseudo-experts in the future.
Well, here we go. Our format of interaction was somewhat unusual: I conducted the research, the girl followed it and sometimes asked for clarifications.
Everything started standardly with a basic data check.
- nutriciologist,
- graduated from “name of institute”, has a European diploma and work experience abroad,
- 12 years of experience,
- author of a unique methodology,
- consulted with high-level athletes.
A simple study of the Instagram account helped to find only his own website and advertising mentions in blogs with similar topics.
Since the person positioned himself as an international expert with a European diploma, I started by checking in open educational registries. I went to the accreditation sites of educational institutions in the UK (Ofqual), in Germany (Anabin), looked through the European EQAR database – nothing. The Russian registers of the Ministry of Education and Science and FRDO are also empty.
The mentioned institute turned out to be a school of online learning and had no accreditation at all. How surprising (no).
Its website, in addition to the flashy advertising, proudly read “Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (EUREPS)”.
Guess what I found on the official registry?
I threw a picture into Yandex and only a couple pages later found an abandoned page with the same face, name, but with a different surname.
This person was a former “business coach” and “relationship expert” a few years ago.
In fact, there wasn't much point in digging any further. The girl just asked me to talk about how to distinguish between harmful or useless recommendations and those that really work. I wrote her a brief checklist on evidence-based medicine (there was no medical advice, as I am not a specialist, just recommendations for validation).
As an example, we took some recommendations from a “nutritionist” insta to check them out.
The girl's sister, by the way, ended up doing fine.
Verification
But the question of how to distinguish bad recommendations from good ones is a complicated one.
Many people will say, “Just look for studies on PubMed,” — but it’s not that simple. There are plenty of low-quality studies out there, and with the right framing, it’s possible to “prove” almost anything.
Merely finding a study is not enough — you need to evaluate its quality. But doing that without proper training is hard. Even top-tier journals like Nature occasionally publish flawed work that later turns into a scandal. That’s why it’s important to follow people who are genuinely involved in evidence-based medicine or science.
But here’s the catch: “evidence-based” has become a marketing label, too — and many opportunists use it to build trust and sell their products.
Below are some basic (non-exhaustive) points to rely on when evaluating health-related recommendations.
(I am not a medical professional; these tips were compiled with the help of qualified experts)
1. Are there any scientific studies?
If the recommendation concerns a drug or supplement, search for studies using the active substance, not the commercial name.
- PubMed — biomedical research database
- Cochrane Library — high-quality systematic reviews
If the only “research” is published in obscure or sensationalist journals, that’s a red flag.
2. Is it mentioned in reputable clinical guidelines?
Check whether the method or drug is included in national or international protocols:
- Russia: Clinical guidelines from the Ministry of Health
- International: WHO, NICE (UK), UpToDate, CDC, ECDC, FDA
If a method is “only recommended in a webinar” but doesn’t appear in any formal protocol — that’s a bad sign.
3. How is the information presented?
Look for red flags in how the recommendation is packaged:
- Are there actual references to studies?
- Are concrete numbers given (e.g. effectiveness, side effect rates)?
- Are there disclaimers like “consult your doctor” or “not a replacement for conventional treatment”?
Bold claims without context or sources = usually just marketing.
4. Marketing buzzwords
Watch out for vague, science-y phrases like:
- “Supports immunity”
- “Detoxifies the body”
- “Alkaline diet” / “balances pH”
- “Gentle liver cleanse”
- “Mitochondria activation”
- “Boosts metabolism”
If no mechanism is explained — even roughly — treat with skepticism.
5. What’s in the composition?
You can check active ingredients via Russia’s official drug registry: https://grls.rosminzdrav.ru/
- If it’s a dietary supplement but promoted as a medical treatment, that’s misleading.
- If the composition is hidden or includes things like “antarctic camel extract,” pause and think.
6. Check reputation and affiliations
- Who’s behind the recommendation? If it’s a blogger with no relevant background — red flag.
- Look for MLM schemes, affiliate links, or store tie-ins.
- Does it promise to fix everything at once?
- Does it claim to treat any condition without exception?
- Does it guarantee results in a week?
The more magical and universal the promise, the more likely it’s a scam.