How do I know if someone is a reliable health expert?

We see people sharing health information or tips on social media all the time – but how can we tell if that person is really an expert on the topic? There are some quick and easy ways to find out if you should trust their advice.
 

What kinds of things should I look for when trying to tell if someone is really a health expert?

There are three main things about health experts to investigate:

Expertise and credentials:

• Being an “expert” means having specialized knowledge in a specific area, so check their credentials. If they’re a medical expert, do they have professional credentials, like a degree in a relevant field? Do they work in a regulated field? For example, dieticians are regulated health professionals, while nutritionists do not have to be licensed or certified – and of course anyone can call themselves a “wellness expert.”
• Make sure they’re an expert in a relevant field, too: a licensed dietician would be an expert on food and diet, but not immunology or vaccines. There are limitations to every area of expertise and the best sources are experts who are transparent about what they can and can’t answer.

Scientific authority:

• Health experts should have a track record in their field. Do a quick online search for their name: if you get too many hits, you can narrow it down by adding the field they’re in, like “epidemiology,” or the university they’re affiliated with. Have they done work, taught or published research in the field they’re claiming to be an expert in? If you don’t recognize the university, do a search to make sure it has a good reputation (remember, anyone can call themselves a “centre” or an “institute” online).
• Be cautious of claims from non-experts or those with no scientific work in the area: if you want to find out where someone’s work fits in their field, search for their name on Google Scholar to see what they’ve published.

Objectivity:

• Scientists and health experts use tools like peer reviews to limit the effect of their own biases on their work, but an expert’s authority can be compromised by things like where their funding comes from or the pressure to find meaningful results in a study. Medical and scientific researchers have to say where their funding came from, so if they’re working in a field where a lot of research is funded by industry, like food science, find the original research paper and check to see who funded it.