The “science” behind celebrity fads

In his new book Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong about Everything? When Celebrity Culture & Science Clash (Viking, Jan. 13, 2015), health science expert Professor Timothy Caulfield examines how our obsession with celebrity culture can cloud our thinking about health, diet, beauty, and even food allergies.

Celebrity-endorsed fads drive multi-million dollar businesses—but are they effective, safe and based in good science? Caulfield talks with experts, celebrities, and even tries out the fads himself, to get at the real science behind the health and lifestyle advice of Gwyneth Paltrow and other celebrities.

Caulfield is a University of Alberta law professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, and the author of The Cure for Everything: Untangling the Twisted Messages About Health, Fitness & Happiness (2011). He is also an AllerGen investigator who studies the legal and ethical dimensions of allergy and asthma research.

“For this book, I went to Hollywood to chat with Gwyneth’s physician advisor Dr. Alejendro Junger,” Caulfield says. “It was clear that Dr. Junger’s cleanse—which was no fun!—was all about avoiding foods he believed caused an allergic reaction. No milk, and of course, no wheat of any kind. Celebrity culture has emerged as a big source of the rhetoric around allergies, especially in the context of vaccines and food.”

Professor Caulfield will speak about his new book on Monday, January 12, 2015, from 5:00‒6:00 p.m. in Toronto, ON. Click here for details.