Celeb health tips 'more of quackery than scientific reality'

London, Dec 27 (ANI): When Oprah Winfrey and Kate Moss espouse "detox" regimes or, when Sharon and Kelly Osbourne say that the Pill can cause cancer, don't take them too seriously if you know what's good for you, say scientists and doctors.

Celebrities are seldom shy about expressing their views on health and science, even when they might not have a slightest of idea of what they are talking about as they endorse theories, diets or health products while misrepresenting the science involved.

And thus, the charity Sense About Science has said that many times celebrities offered bogus advice or "quackery," which misleads the public.

The charity said that Madonna's quest to "neutralise radiation" and Tom Cruise's dismissals of psychiatry, holds no ground in science, and thus one should not follow such advice blindly.

The US President-elect Barack Obama is among several American public figures who continue to suggest that the MMR vaccination is a potential cause of autism, despite an overwhelming weight of scientific evidence to the contrary.

Cookery writer and broadcaster Delia Smith's suggestion that obesity is caused by sugar addiction is being questioned and Lisa Miles, of the British Nutrition Foundation has denied the theory completely.

"Delia, you'll never get rid of sugar from the diet, nor would you want to, as you consume sugars naturally in foods such as fruit and milk, which provide us with important nutrients . . . the causes of obesity are much more complex," Times Online quoted her as saying.

Demi Moore's use of "highly trained medical leeches" to "detoxify" her blood has taken many experts by surprise.

While Kate Moss is reportedly on a strict "detox" diet of fruit and vegetables at a health spa in Thailand, nutritionists have claimed that such regimes exclude important food groups such as protein.

Designer Stella McCartney received flak for saying that a chemical found in skin creams was also found in antifreeze. However, Gary Moss, a pharmacologist, said that the chemical, propylene glycol, was versatile and its use in cosmetics was not "scary", as claimed.

The Sense About Science initiative is an update of a leaflet encouraging celebrities to avoid making claims until they have checked the facts. (ANI)