Deepfake videos of doctors used to sell unproven health supplements online
Deepfake videos using AI technology appeared on Meta platforms depicting Australian doctors and celebrities promoting unproven health supplements and weight loss products. The content reportedly included dangerous health advice, such as encouraging diabetes patients to discontinue prescribed medications, and the Australian Medical Association linked the proliferation to Meta's weakened content moderation policies.
What happened
Deepfake videos appeared online depicting Dr Norman Swan, Professor Jonathan Shaw and Professor Kerryn Phelps promoting unproven dietary supplements and weight loss products. In one video, fake Dr Swan dismissed scientific evidence as 'stupid' while selling weight loss products claimed to treat heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Another depicted Professor Shaw advertising a dietary supplement as a treatment for type 2 diabetes.
Similar deepfake videos of singer Adele and Australian actor Rebel Wilson were used to promote the same products. One video showed Rebel Wilson crediting a weight loss supplement recommended by 'Dr Norman Swan'. The deepfakes linked to external websites selling products including Keto Flow + ACV and Glyco Balance, which have little or no scientific basis for their marketing claims.
The videos began appearing approximately 18 months before May 2025 and intensified in early 2025. The Australian Medical Association stated the content was exacerbated by weakened content moderation on Meta platforms following a policy change in January 2025. Attempts to have the content removed from Facebook and Instagram were reportedly unsuccessful.
Reported impact
The deepfake content included dangerous health advice, such as encouraging diabetes patients to stop taking metformin, a core drug used to treat type-2 diabetes and prevent serious complications including blindness and kidney damage. One case documented a retired man who ceased his prescribed metformin after seeing a deepfake article supposedly written by Dr Swan recommending Glyco Balance as an alternative.
The Australian Medical Association expressed concern that the deepfakes target vulnerable people dealing with serious health issues and called the trend 'deeply concerning'. The videos are increasingly convincing and difficult for the public to distinguish from authentic content.
Governance controls
The Australian Medical Association partially blamed Meta for the trend, citing weakened content moderation on Facebook and Instagram following a policy change in January 2025. The AMA stated in a letter to the Minister for Communications that 'misinformation and harmful content on Meta's platforms have been widely reported to have increased since this policy change'.
Dr Swan reported that attempts to get Meta to take down deepfake imagery were futile. The AMA is pushing the federal government to address the trend.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.