19/04/2026
Here is an interesting study from Allison Eubanks and Katerina Shvartsman that evaluated the role of social media in promoting menopause-related supplements and assessed the evidence supporting their efficacy and safety through observational content analysis of public Instagram posts using menopause-related hashtags.
A dataset of 1000 Instagram posts was retrieved using 10 menopause-related hashtags. Using a newly created Instagram account, authors reviewed the top 100 posts from each of the 10 most popular menopause hashtags. Posts advertising branded oral supplements were categorised by poster type and message intent. The 20 most frequently promoted supplements were analysed for active ingredients, monthly cost, and evidence-based efficacy. Data was collected in June 2024. Main outcome measures were - Poster background, content category, ingredient profile, product cost, and safety and efficacy data.
What did the results show?
Of 1000 Instagram posts reviewed, 661 (66.1%) promoted branded menopause supplements. 18.3% were authored by credentialed clinicians, while most were posted by businesses (30.4%) or non-clinical individuals (51.3%). Only a small proportion of supplement posts were authored by clinicians, leaving a gap in evidence-based information. Among the top 20 advertised supplements, common ingredients showed inconsistent evidence. Nearly half (45%) contained proprietary blends, limiting transparency. The average monthly cost was $43.49 (USD).
The authors concluded that menopause supplement marketing on Instagram is dominated by non-clinicians and often lacks supporting evidence (in absence of robust large studies conducted) or regulatory oversight and that clinicians should be aware of this online landscape and address supplement use during patient consultations.
The strength of the study is its structured classification of post content and supplement composition while the main limitations include the subjectivity in classifying poster identity and intent, restriction to a single platform and the snapshot nature of the data collection.
https://obgyn.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-0528.70242