Heal Me by Zand Van Tolken - Debunking the Eye-Catching Health Myths

TV's charming doctor debunks the bogus science of today's snake oils, from collagen to turmeric. When Zand van Tolken set off on a journey into the Wild West of health, he didn't expect to discover anything new about vitamin D. Even the NHS website, which is hardly a source of nonsense, recommends that everyone should take a daily dose during the autumn.

When Zand van Tolken set off on a journey into the Wild West of health, he didn't expect to discover anything new about vitamin D. Even the NHS website, hardly a source for quackery, recommends that everyone should take a daily dose in autumn and winter, when we are at risk of becoming deficient (D is the vitamin we get most from sunlight and helps keep our bones strong).

The TV doctor and twin brother of Chris (he's the one who wrote the book about the food industry, The Super Processed People) qualified during a time of great excitement in vitamin D circles. In the early 2000s, large studies linked it not only to bone health, but to cancer, heart disease, and dementia. "The range of potential problems to be solved was bewildering," Van Tolken writes in Make Me Good.

But—spoiler alert—evidence is emerging that even the benefits of medically approved supplements shrivel under close scrutiny. After delving into decades of testing and talking to a professor who devoted his career to what he now sees as the false promise of vitamin D, van Tolken finds no justification for routine consumption for all but a small portion of the population who are truly deficient.

The Vitamin D chapter follows what is becoming a familiar and compelling pattern in Van Tolken's first proper solo book, in which he combines the rigor of a book, an investigative journalist with medical expertise and a bouncy bedside manner that makes him a natural broadcaster. He's also the best kind of science writer who leans into complexity while making it as easy to digest as fish oil gum (another thing you might want to avoid).

In addition to vitamin D, he is targeting collagen, testosterone, multivitamins, turmeric supplements and krill oil, as well as growing markets for personalized nutrition, glucose monitoring, wearable technology and private blood screening. In each case, he finds that the lines between health and health care are blurring—and the gaps between hype and evidence are yawning. He also reveals the damage that health fads can do to our bodies, our relationship with food and the environment.

In a chapter devoted to collagen, Van Tolken travels to China to learn how a messy byproduct of the meat industry has been marketed as a modern elixir at 1,000%. Ejiao, a premium type of donkey-derived collagen, has become a source of "edible beauty" as Chinese manufacturers have run out of donkey skin sources. Soon rural communities in countries across Africa found that their animals were being slaughtered for export to boil their hides into expensive gum and powder.

He also explores the history and booming business of supplements, from real snake oil in the late 19th century to unhealthy oil. The contemporary market is dominated by podcasts, influencers, and a science publishing industry that appears to be deeply flawed: "The more research I do, the more I see the same patterns over and over again: conflicts of interest, industry-funded trials, industry-owned journals, and an entire system designed to exploit people." is."

He concludes that for a generally healthy person, wellness requires things that are difficult to package and sell to supermarkets or through subscriptions: for example, a diet rich in whole foods and fruits and vegetables, and a hobby that involves the attainable yet challenging mastery of a useful skill. (For example, the scientific evidence for the health benefits of becoming a potter or learning the piano is much stronger than for testosterone or vitamin D depletion.)

"The right people to make you well aren't going to be health professionals," van Tolken says at the end of a book that deserves to force some sort of industry audit. "They might be the dance instructor or the librarian or the martial arts teacher or the person who runs your local choir." While I'm considering reacquainting myself with my piano, I'm not about to empty my bottle of vitamin D pills as night falls.

Make me well: an attempt to understand the confusing world of health by Zand van Tolken is published by Cornerstone (£22). To support The Guardian, order your copy. Delivery charges may apply.