# Check whether a health claim or headline holds up

A plain-language check of a health news story, social post, or product claim, with questions to separate hype from evidence.

- Topic: Research & Summaries
- Framework: Few-Shot
- Level: Standard
- Tags: Health & Wellness, Writing, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/check-whether-a-health-claim-or-headline-holds-up

## Prompt

```text
Help me figure out whether a health claim I saw is trustworthy.

**The claim or headline:** [PASTE IT]
**Where I saw it:** [e.g. "news site", "influencer video", "supplement ad", "a friend's message"]
**Link or details of the study it mentions (if any):** [PASTE]
**Why it matters to me:** [e.g. "thinking of changing my diet", "worried about my child"]

Walk through:
1. What exactly is being claimed, restated in one neutral sentence.
2. Source check: who's making it, do they sell something, is a real study named.
3. Study check (if there is one): was it in people or animals/cells, how many people, did it show cause or just a link, how big was the effect in absolute terms, and was it a single study or consistent with others.
4. Red flags: "miracle", "doctors hate this", one-size-fits-all promises, personal stories as proof, urgency to buy.
5. What reputable public health bodies generally say on this topic, framed as something for me to verify on their official sites.

Return: a verdict (looks solid / overstated / misleading / can't tell), the 3 biggest reasons, and what I'd need to see to be more confident.

Do not invent study details, numbers, or quotes. If information is missing, mark [NOT PROVIDED]. Before acting on any health claim, especially stopping a treatment, talk to my doctor.
```

## What to fill in

- PASTE IT
- PASTE
- e.g. "thinking of changing my diet", "worried about my child"
- NOT PROVIDED

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.