Study: Social media has an influence on your food choices

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PARIS, FRANCE - OCTOBER 07: In this photo illustration, social media, Twitter, TikTok, WhatApp, Instagram, Threads, Snapchat, Facebook, Messenger and Telegram application logos are displayed on the screen of a smartphone on October 07, 2019 in Paris,

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The people you follow on social media could be influencing what you eat.

New research to be published in the journal “Appetite” suggests that you might be copying the eating habits you see online. 

The study surveyed over 300 college students on the eating habits of their Facebook friends and compared it to those students’ own diets. 

Participants who perceived their friends as healthy eaters also ate more servings of fruits and vegetables themselves. Those who said their peers ate more junk food tended to eat more junk food. 

Neither group’s eating habits showed a strong link to their personal body mass indexes.

Researchers said this information could utilize social media to influence people to live a healthier lifestyle.