Investigation Reveals Deepfakes of Health Professionals Pushing Supplements

A recent investigation by FullFact uncovered a wave of AI-generated videos featuring doctors spreading misinformation and endorsing supplements online. The investigation found deepfakes of doctors and health experts offering health advice across social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, in an effort to encourage users to purchase some specific supplements.

Doctors and Academics Deepfaked to Push Unverified Claims

The FullFact team of fact-checkers, journalists, technologists, and policy experts found that deepfakes of doctors and academics are being used to push unverified health claims and are also being used to promote health supplements.

The investigation revealed a series of social media accounts using AI-generated videos of health professionals and academics to promote specific health products, directing users to the U.S. supplements company “Wellness Nest.”

According to the fact-checking team, the story began when Professor David Taylor-Robinson, a children’s public health doctor with a focus on health inequality at the University of Liverpool, received an email from a colleague: “Are you aware you are on TikTok?” However, he was not, and he did not have a presence on the platform. 

After investigating, the professor discovered footage of his real appearance at a conference had been altered to make him talk about a supposed “thermometer leg.” In the TikTok video, the deepfake Professor claimed this was a menopause symptom in which women who become too hot at night extend one leg beyond the blanket. Meanwhile, Professor Taylor-Robinson is not a menopause expert.

The fact-checking team later found that Professor Taylor-Robinson is not the only one being deepfaked as multiple social media accounts have been using AI-generated deepfakes of real doctors and academics to promote health products.

TikTok’s Interaction with Full Fact

According to the investigation report, the Communications team at the University of Liverpool initially reported the TikTok video to the platform, but TikTok responded that no violations had been found.

Professor Taylor-Robinson later reported the posts himself, and after several days, TikTok acknowledged that the videos breached its Community Guidelines. The platform limited the visibility of the videos, but these were not removed.

Regardless of whether the claims were true or false, FullFact emphasized that “it’s safe to say that fabricated testimonials from AI-generated ‘experts’ are not a safe source of health advice. Nor would you expect people to rely on this advice when deciding how to spend their money.”

After reviewing the account behind the deepfakes (@better_healthy_life), the investigation identified additional examples of deepfakes depicting academics and public health leaders. Some of the health professionals featured do not use social media and have a limited online presence.

The deepfakes appear to be based on recordings of previous talks or conferences where these experts delivered speeches. Additionally, many of the deepfakes focused on menopause. The investigation also exposed deepfakes of real people whose identities they were unable to verify.

The deepfake video featuring Professor Taylor-Robinson’s talk about the “thermometer leg” gained traction, accumulating over 365,000 views, 7,691 likes, and 459 comments by the time the TikTok account was permanently banned, following an email from FullFact on September 24, 2025.

According to TikTok’s email to the fact-checking platform, the videos had not been removed earlier due to a moderation error. The social media company acknowledged the mistake and confirmed that the videos were eventually taken down for violating TikTok’s policies. TikTok also emphasized that it urges users to label AI-generated content.

The Deepfakes Redirected Viewers to Buy Supplements

The investigation found that these videos generally redirect viewers to purchase products from a U.S. supplements company called “Wellness Nest,” claiming the products can help with various symptoms. These supplements include a Himalayan substance called “shilajit,” which users are instructed to stir into hot water, and the website linked in the videos does sell these items.

The report also discovered that the TikTok account in question is not the only one using deepfakes to promote health supplements. Earlier this year, many individuals were similarly deepfaked to advertise the same company’s products and other investigations have linked deepfakes to “Wellness Nest,” showing both celebrities and health professionals, as well as fake experts, promoting the supplements.

Deepfakes Amplified Through Additional Apps

The deepfakes were not limited to TikTok. The investigation found Facebook accounts posting numerous videos that appeared to be deepfakes featuring prominent health professionals. Instagram accounts using usernames that included the company’s name were also found posting videos with a similar pattern. Meanwhile, similar content was also identified on X (formerly Twitter) and YouTube.

After FullFact reached out, Google, YouTube's parent company, said all content uploaded to the platform must comply with its Community Guidelines, regardless of how it is generated. It also confirmed that transparency labels had been added to the videos flagged by FullFact.

Meta said it removes harmful misinformation, including content promoting “miracle cures.” However, FullFact had not received a response from X.

According to the investigation, the U.S. company “Wellness Nest” pays people to share links to its website to generate sales through “affiliate marketing.” However, many links used in the deepfake accounts did not redirect to the company’s website, though in some cases it remained possible. 

When contacted, the “Wellness Nest” stated that these accounts were “100% unaffiliated with Wellness Nest.” After similar accounts were identified in July, the company published a blog in which it stated it has “never used AI-generated content, never paid celebrities, and never claimed that our Shilajit can cure or treat any medical condition.”

Misinformation Can Undermine Scientific Authority

This type of misinformation, delivered through deepfakes, can also fall under misinformation, which refers to information restructured or shared out of its original context with malicious intent to cause harm to a person, company, organization, or country. 

In this context, such misinformation risks damaging the reputations of the health professionals being impersonated and could also lead people to make health-related decisions based on false or misleading claims.

This content not only undermines trust in the academics and professionals featured in the videos, but also affects the reputation of the company associated with the promotion of the health supplements. 

Additionally, such misinformation puts users and viewers at risk, as they may lose money through fraudulent purchases, be scammed if payment methods are insecure, or face health complications if the products are not authentic or do not comply with health regulations and standards.

These videos erode academics and health professionals’ scientific authority and are able to undermine the long-standing trust this community has maintained, even through global and critical health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which was marked by one of the most widespread health misinformation waves.

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