All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Can we trust health magazines
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
There are a lot of magazines, including health ones. But can you always trust the advice published in them? To answer this question, it is worth understanding what the information in these magazines is based on, what sources it is taken from and in whose interests it is placed on the pages of the publication.
There are more and more debates about whether doctors and medicine can be trusted in principle. Much of what was considered absolutely useful is now being questioned - vaccinations, immunizations, ultrasound, etc. Insufficient or outdated education, low salaries of doctors, focus on eliminating symptoms instead of treating causes - all this makes medicine insufficiently effective. Doctors now often receive rewards from pharmaceutical companies, selling their products to patients. If this happens in medical institutions, what can we say about other areas of dissemination of health information, including the media.
Magazines largely exist due to income from advertising on their pages. Often entire articles are written specifically for advertising blocks, to smoothly lead to the advertised product. These articles can be both truthful and useful, and vice versa, depending on what the product is, what and how it treats. It should also be remembered that the authors of the articles do not always have a medical education or are in any way connected with health issues.
Of course, there is useful and truthful information in magazines. However, any advice and recipes should be "filtered", especially if their use affects your health. Check the information, analyze. Do not buy every advertised medicine. Remember that pharmaceutical companies are primarily focused on making a profit. Meanwhile, it may turn out that you do not need this medicine at all, but need another one.
Do not forget that the best way to help your health is not with pills, but with preventive measures, primarily proper nutrition and sports, giving up cigarettes and alcoholic drinks, harmful food products. This can really reduce illnesses several times. In this sense, health magazines dedicated to sports, fitness and healthy lifestyles are of great benefit.
Look through the magazine carefully, read the articles. Pay attention to their size and the evidence provided. Publications that care about their reputation try to place verified data. Their articles are well structured, they provide arguments, scientific information and conclusions. They are usually interesting to read. In "cheap" publications, the information often looks too simple, the articles are short, there is advertising at the end, sometimes you can find texts copied from the Internet.
[ 1 ], [ 2 ], [ 3 ], [ 4 ], [ 5 ], [ 6 ], [ 7 ], [ 8 ], [ 9 ], [ 10 ], [ 11 ]