You can’t browse a grocery store or pharmacy without being subject to flashy labels that promote health benefits. But it’s becoming more common, said Timothy Caulfield, a research chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta. Mr. Caulfield coined the term “scienceploitation” to describe how brands borrow language from emerging areas of science to market unproven products. Scienceploitation crops up in far more places today than ever before, including in search results, on social media platforms and from influencers, Mr. Caulfield said. But they can’t always separate fact from fiction: A 2021 study suggested that people who trust science were more likely to share false claims that contained scientific references than claims that didn’t.

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Persons: Timothy Caulfield, Caulfield, Sienna Piccioni Organizations: ”, University of Alberta, Mr, Federal Trade Commission Locations: influencers