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Nick Tiller, Ph.D.

@nbtiller.bsky.social
1.6K followers 44 following 194 posts

Exercise scientist & author. New book, The Health and Wellness Lie. Writing/speaking on health, evidence, and scientific skepticism.

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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
ChatGPT Health launched recently to little fanfare. But what is this new platform, and how does it change the way we use AI chatbots for health advice? Read the article: ➡️https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/physiologic/202609/chatgpt-health-solution-or-experiment #Health #AI #ChatGPT
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
What about Hugh Grant?
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The only part of my British heritage I'm proud of.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
TOP TRUMPS: Wellness Influencer Edition. Kick off the deck with our first three entries: Andrew Huberman, Dave Asprey, and Mark Hyman. WHO wins this round? And WHO deserves to be on the next batch of cards? #Wellness #Influencers
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Backwards? 🧢
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
There are just THREE human studies on BPC-157, totaling just 30 participants. None was randomized or controlled. So why are people buying it? I answer that question and more in this month's column for @SkeptInquirer #health #science #peptides skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/fr...
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Got two thirds through the article before they bothered to mention that most deaths were in unvaccinated children.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Do you know the difference between a science communicator and a science commodifier? In this month's @SkeptInquirer column, I explore how the latter cherry-pick studies, misappropriate data, and produce conclusions that dovetail with branded products. linktr.ee/NBTiller
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
From The Health and Wellness Lie | Chapter 1: Perverse incentives and harmful consequences.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
A few joyous blurbs.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Thrilled to announce that THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS LIE launches this Thursday, 16th July, in Europe, and is available for preorder in the US and Canada. 🇬🇧🇪🇺https://linktr.ee/TheHealthandWellnessLie, 🇺🇸🇨🇦https://www.amazon.com/Health-Wellness-Lie-Exposing-well-being/dp/1399424246 #Health #wellness ⬇️⬇️
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Full article here: skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/pi...
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Can pickle juice really cure muscle cramps? The "neural reflex" hypothesis is doing a LOT of heavy lifting. skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/pi... #worldcup #picklejuice
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
Self-inflicted madness.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Hallucinations are both amusing and dangerous. Read the complete feature here: ➡️https://subscriber.ultrarunning.com/archive/article/tricks-of-the-mind-the-science-of-ultrarunning-hallucinations#24 [Sorry, subscribers only]
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I have a feature article in this month's @UltraRunningMag: The science of ultra-running-related hallucinations. Scroll for the main takeaways. ➡️https://subscriber.ultrarunning.com/archive/article/tricks-of-the-mind-the-science-of-ultrarunning-hallucinations#24 [Sorry, subscribers only]
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
Read the column in @SkeptInquirer for the lowdown. skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/ri...
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
AG1 is arguably the most prominent of all powdered greens. They make bold claims such as “feel strong, vital, and nourished.” But what does the evidence say about the benefits of this popular supplement? Read the column in @SkeptInquirer for the lowdown. skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/ri... #AG1
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Lock up your wellness grifters. The Health and Wellness Lie is available for preorder. #wellness #misinformation
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Reposted by Nick Tiller, Ph.D.
Timothy Caulfield @caulfieldtim.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Should You Take Nutrition Advice From a Chatbot? [Spoiler: USE CAUTION! 🚧] www.nytimes.com/2026/05/26/w... by @alicecallahan.bsky.social @nbtiller.bsky.social: "Chatbots are convenient and fast, but sometimes they give 'incredibly bad advice.'"
nytimes.com
Should You Take Nutrition Advice From a Chatbot?
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Thank you @IrishSESA for your warm hospitality. I had a ball meeting everyone and exploring how bad science affects public health and trust in medicine. #wellness #misinformation #badscience #TheHealthAndWellnessLie
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Catch me on this week's episode of the @Scienceofsport podcast, talking about chatbot #health #misinformation: ➡️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkHH62nGpO0 ➡️https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/can-you-trust-ai-for-health-and-training-advice/id1461719225?i=1000766464444
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Kudos AHA.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
What are we doing here, folks?!🤦‍♂️ #cocodona250
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Celebrating the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough: a British institution whose love of science and the natural world has inspired generations to leave the planet better than they found it.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Exercise is medicine. But as with all medicines, there's a MINIMUM dose required for benefits & an OPTIMUM range. There's also likely a TOXIC dose. For #exercise, the therapeutic ratio is high, but not infinite. ➡️https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34542868 ➡️https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32769665
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Studies with food-industry involvement published in leading nutrition journals were ~six times more likely to report favorable findings than studies without industry involvement: 55.6% vs 9.7%. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC... #nutrition #research
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Reposted by Nick Tiller, Ph.D.
Jonathan Jarry @jonathanjarry.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
My latest for @mcgilloss.bsky.social is a weighty tome: the hallmarks of pseudoscience. I'm very proud of it. Lots to chew on. W/ help from the amazing @nbtiller.bsky.social @mrmmarsh.bsky.social @caulfieldtim.bsky.social & Dr. Alice Howarth of @skepticswithak.org. www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/...
mcgill.ca
The Hallmarks of Pseudoscience
I’ve been investigating pseudoscientific claims for 13 years now. The word “pseudoscience” means “fake science,” something that superficially looks like science—and is often sold as such—but that isn’...
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
My latest column in @SkeptInquirer explores the recent US executive order to expand research into psychedelics, and ibogaine in particular. How did it come about? And what are the risks? skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/th...
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Tonight, 19:00 Eastern. skepticalinquirer.org/video/the-he...
skepticalinquirer.org
The Health and Wellness Lie | Nick Tiller | Skeptical Inquirer Presents
Science has advanced enormously in the past 500 years, guided by experimental tests of theory and practice.  In that same time, science teaching and education—guided primarily by tradition and dogma—h...
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Reposted by Nick Tiller, Ph.D.
MedPage Today @medpagetoday.com · 28/04/2026
A new study in BMJ Open found that popular AI chatbots frequently produced problematic responses to health & medical questions, including fabricated citations & answers delivered with confidence & certainty even when they were incorrect. @nbtiller.bsky.social www.medpagetoday.com/practicemana...
medpagetoday.com
AI Chatbot Told Users That Herbal Remedies Can Treat Cancer
Nearly half of chatbot answers to medical questions deemed 'problematic' in study
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
www.medpagetoday.com/practicemana... #chatbots #health
medpagetoday.com
AI Chatbot Told Users That Herbal Remedies Can Treat Cancer
Nearly half of chatbot answers to medical questions deemed 'problematic' in study
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
It's one of ChatGPT's most insidious tells: "It's not X; it's Y" has become shorthand for lazy AI slop. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #AIWriting #ChatGPT
theguardian.com
ChatGPT’s latest stylistic quirk is sinister, infuriating – and absolutely everywhere | Stuart Heritage
Once you start noticing “it’s not X, it’s Y” as you scroll online, you can’t fail to register it. I’ve become so hypervigilant that it has seeped into my subconscious thoughts
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
TAKE HOME MESSAGE: -Chatbots perform poorly in misinformation-prone health and medical fields. -Continued deployment without education and oversight risks amplifying misinformation. 7/7 END
Tiller NB, Marcon AR, Zenone M, et al. Generative AI-driven chatbots and medical misinformation: an accuracy, referencing and readability audit. BMJ Open 2026;16:e112695. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2025-112695
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
6/7 Results: READABILITY -Readability was graded as “Difficult” (Flesch Scores = 30–50). -Equivalent to a college sophomore–senior level. -Gemini 'slightly' better than the others.
Flesch Reading Ease scores. All scores 30-50: “Difficult” readability, equating to college sophomore to senior.  Each data point is an individual response (25/chatbot), with mean ± STDEV. aSignificantly different from Gemini, bSignificantly different from Deep Seek, cSignificantly different from Meta AI, dSignificantly different from ChatGPT, eSignificantly different from Grok.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
5/7 Results: Reference ACCURACY -Completeness score averaged 40% (authors, dates, DOIs often wrong). -Frequent hallucinations and fabricated citations. -No chatbot produced a fully accurate reference list.
Reference Completeness. Dark blue = % of references complete and correct; light blue = % of references incomplete and/or incorrect.  aSignificantly different from Gemini, bSignificantly different from Deep Seek, cSignificantly different from Meta AI, d=Significantly different from ChatGPT, eSignificantly different from Grok.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
4/7 Results: Response QUALITY: 50% were “Problematic.” -30% “Somewhat.” -20% “Highly.” Grok produced more “highly problematic” responses than expected (p = .038). Only two refusals to answer from 250 questions (0.8%).
Response quality. Blue = Non-problematic; Yellow = Somewhat problematic; Orange = Highly problematic. *Significantly more than expected at p < 0.05.
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
3/7 Assessments: (i) Response Quality Coded as “non-problematic,” “somewhat problematic,” or “highly problematic.” (ii) Reference Accuracy References returned, completeness, accuracy score (iii) Readability Flesch Ease of Reading Score
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
We asked five chatbots 250 questions across cancer, vaccines, stem cells, nutrition, and performance. 2/7
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Our NEW study in @BMJ_Open is an audit of 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 spread by popular AI chatbots. Learn more🧵1/7 Thx to amazing team: @CaulfieldTim @srmarcon at @UAlbertaLaw & @Jeukendrup @marco_zenone 🔗https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/4/e112695 #health #misinformation #AI
https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/4/e112695
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Nick Tiller, Ph.D. @nbtiller.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
99% of #acupuncture studies from China report benefits of the therapy. "This isn’t routine bias; it’s the systematic sterilization of negative outcomes." Is it time we stop publishing acupuncture studies from China? New column in @SkeptInquirer.
https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/is-it-time-we-stop-publishing-acupuncture-research-from-china/
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