The most dangerous health trends predicted for 2025
Key Takeaways
Public trust in physicians and hospitals has plummeted from 71.5% in 2020 to 40.1% in 2024, fueled by medical misinformation and unchecked access to unsupervised health content.
Dangerous health practices, such as the misuse of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, over-reliance on at-home lab testing, and health anxiety driven by wearable devices, highlight the need for informed medical guidance.
The rising use of nootropics and cognitive enhancers among students and professionals raises alarms about dependency, mental fatigue, and psychiatric side effects.
According to a report from The Lancet Digital Health, public trust in physicians and hospitals has plummeted from 71.5% in 2020 to just 40.1% in 2024.[] The authors attribute this alarming decline to medical misinformation and “overwhelming” access to unsupervised health information. The result? A society more inclined to trust the viral health hack on social media than the advice of their own doctors.
The past year alone has been rife with dubious health trends. From DIY fecal transplants and "poop facials" to eating raw flour for fluffy popcorn and unpurified shilajit to boost sex drive—people tried it all, with many ending up in hospitals.
As we step into 2025, the question isn’t whether these trends will continue—they will—but rather, which ones pose the gravest risks. With that in mind, let’s look at what physicians think could be the most dangerous health trends for the year ahead.
The abuse of weight-loss drugs
Medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro have exploded in popularity as weight-loss aids, but their misuse and the rise of counterfeit versions are a severe threat.
“GLP-1s are amazing weight loss medications for the right patients, but counterfeit or poorly compounded versions are prescribed by fly-by-night vendors, putting unsuspecting patients at risk for severe adverse reactions to unknown ingredients,” says Dr. Karen Larson, a family medicine physician.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Applebaum highlights another issue that could become a major concern in 2025 with the surge in GLP-1RA prescriptions. “Many new weight loss medications can seem like the magic fix to get rid of those stubborn pounds, but nothing comes for free. Ozempic can cause loss in muscle mass, which can be very dangerous, especially for older adults.” He adds, “It wreaks havoc on the skin, causing a loss of mass, increasing wrinkles, and decreasing elasticity.” v
At-home lab testing
At-home test kits were all the rage for their convenience, but now we’re drowning in options that just don’t hold up scientifically. For example, IgG food sensitivity tests have been discredited by allergists because they wrongly label foods as intolerances. Gut microbiome kits?
They oversimplify something as complex as your gut bacteria. Telomere length tests claim to measure biological aging, but they’re inaccurate at best. Hormone tests for cortisol, testosterone, or estrogen often misinterpret natural fluctuations, and those so-called “adrenal fatigue” tests? Pure pseudoscience!
These kits may appeal to consumers seeking personalized health insights but are often more speculative than evidence-based. They offer misleading results, causing unnecessary anxiety in the patients and pushing them toward unsafe interventions.
Dr. Larson explains how at-home tests are great tools when used appropriately. But patients often do these tests without a prior discussion of the reasons for seeking these tests, or what the results may mean. Without guidance, patients may misinterpret results, miss the significance of subtle patterns, or not know when it is appropriate to see a doctor or get retested.
Psychiatrist Dr. Ralph Waldo has observed similar pitfalls in his practice. "I’ve encountered patients who self-diagnose based on these results, neglecting the need for professional interpretation.”
Wearable health devices
From smartwatches to continuous glucose monitors, wearable devices have become ubiquitous. But for some, this constant data becomes a source of health anxiety.
Dr. Larson explains, “Having instant access to multiple biometrics can be useful for the right patient. Someone who is training for an upcoming marathon will want to be able to track heart rate, blood sugar, and other biometrics in response to changes in their training intensity and help plan for drastic changes in their readings during the actual event.”
However, for those patients who tend to be somewhat anxious or obsessive, Dr. Larson says that “having multiple biometrics to watch and lament over can actually change the results of the biometrics themselves and lead to significant worry and stress.”
Seeing an elevated heart rate, even briefly, might cause further elevation due to worry, creating a vicious cycle. She also points out that wearable sleep trackers can worsen insomnia for some patients: “Seeing poor sleep biometrics may make them lie awake at night pondering how to fix it, thus worsening the sleep even further.”
Cognitive enhancers
The growing use of cognitive enhancers or nootropics is also expected to rise next year. Dr. Waldo is already seeing a troubling pattern in his practice. “I am particularly concerned about the increasing reliance on cognitive improvers or "smart drugs," he says. "I have seen a pattern emerge where individuals, particularly students and professionals, rely heavily on these substances without understanding the long-term impacts.”
A lot of these cognitive improvers lack robust research on prolonged use, with risks of dependency, mental fatigue, and psychiatric issues like anxiety or depression following overuse.