Steph Claire Smith has called out a toxic diet trend and experts agree

Steph Claire Smith has called out a toxic TikTok trend that promises unrealistic health and weight loss benefits that she says is "playing on women's insecurities".

"There is so much misleading information on this particular trend – because most people who are sharing it have no credibility to be sharing it," Smith shared in a TikTok video. 

The trend she is referring to is one that is currently circulating TikTok where several creators are touting the health and weight loss benefits that can come from rubbing caster oil on your belly button.

Watch the video above.

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It is being referred to online as "castor oil navel pulling" with many claiming that it can help with digestion, relieve bloating and melt fat for a "flat stomach".

And with diet culture constantly fuelling desires to be slim and have a flat stomach, Smith appreciates that these trends "can be so tempting" to partake in but "quick fix" trends like this are not the answer. 

"They literally play off our insecurities, they play off the pressures that we feel that we need to look like or we need to feel like. We want quick fixes but to get a healthy body, there's no such thing as a quick fix," Smith says.

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is," Smith captioned her video.

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Smith is an Australian influencer and fitness brand co-founder, she's not an expert in the medical field. However Dr Emma Beckett is and she agrees with Smith. 

"Like all the trends, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is because there's no biological reason that applying something like castor oil to the outside of your body is going to be having an impact on your fat metabolism" Dr Beckett, who is a food and nutrition scientist and registered nutritionist, tells 9honey. 

Beckett continues to explain that using castor oil topically is likely to have no effect – harmful or helpful – on our bodies so this trend is not necessarily harmful. What is harmful is the way it adds to the consistent messaging around how our bodies should look. 

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"So the harm is really perpetuating the diet culture myths as opposed to the harm of putting castor oil on you," Dr Beckett says. 

Sharing these quick fixes online, Dr Beckett explains, can lead individuals to believe that they should be able to experience the same results and when they don't – because it's scientifically impossible – it can lead them to feel shame around their bodies. 

Beckett adds that this can then have a knock-on effect leading individuals to develop a "distorted view of what health looks like and what we need to do to be healthy".

"No-one should need to follow any of these trends to be healthy, but we're also distracted by them that we're not actually spending the time and energy we have available to do things that actually could be good for our health."

Dr Mariam Chaalan, a GP with a special focus on women's health, agrees with Smith and Beckett.

"As a medical professional, I feel it's my responsibility to address such viral health trends – particularly when they involve unproven methods that could mislead the public. Let's set the record straight: No scientific evidence suggests that applying castor oil to your navel can lead to weight loss or reduce bloating," Dr Chaalan says.

"As with many viral health trends, it's essential to be cautious about the information you encounter on social media. Frequently, influencers promoting such trends have financial incentives tied to the products they recommend," she adds.

Dr Chaalan reminds people to "seek guidance from qualified healthcare professionals – individuals who are trained to offer evidence-based, personalised recommendations".

"Your health and wellbeing deserve a more thoughtful approach than the latest TikTok trend."

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