Celebrities Take Heat for Kooky Science
Group says it's dangerous when celebrities spout about kooky cures, fad diets.
April 1, 2010— -- From fad cleanses to bizarre treatments and "miracle" cures, celebrities have tried it all and love to talk about it.
"Celebrities have disproportionately loud voices," said Ellen Raphael, the U.K. director of Sense About Science, a charity organization that responds to what it believes are misrepresentations of science and medicine in society.
Around the world, celebrities dish about their beauty secrets and kooky cures: Actress Demi Moore believes leeches detoxify her blood; supermodel Cindy Crawford, "Black Eyed Peas" singer Fergie and actress Megan Fox all down vinegar shots, which they say help flush out fat. But the actual benefits of these practices are not clear and not supported by scientific research.
The list of suspected science offenders continues. Model and actress Carol Alt, who began a raw food diet after she was diagnosed with reproductive cancer, attributed the organic lifestyle to saving her life and giving her a camera-ready physique.
"At 47, I did Playboy without working out beforehand," Alt said in an interview with "Access Hollywood." "That's raw food. That's the difference!"
Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty believes soda "sap[s] oxygen from your body" and makes skin wrinkly. Roger Moore, a former James Bond actor, claims that eating foie gras could lead to Alzheimer's disease.
"We have no evidence to suggest that's the case," Raphael said.
As part of its annual review of what they say are misleading celebrity statements, Sense About Science warns against advice like Moore's, saying "nutrition is neither the cure nor cause of everything."
Sense About Science has asked celebrities and those in the public eye to "check the facts before going public" with their comments or endorsements on scientific matters.
"It does become a problem, because they've become new positions of authority for us in society," Raphael said. "We look to see what the people we respect say about things."
Once said, these claims can live on the Internet forever.
