A baby died. Three young kids, hospitalized. And, allegedly, it all happened in the name of health.
An Arizona couple is facing possible prison time after their parenting practices, shaped by online misinformation about medical care and nutrition, left their 5-month-old child dead and three other children suffering from chronic malnutrition, police and court records show. The couple allegedly adhered to a dangerous and debunked eating regime − called the alkaline diet − which they imposed on their kids.
The tragic ordeal points to a growing problem: medical misinformation. According to a 2024 poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation, most Americans encounter false health information online, and many are unsure whether it is accurate. Nearly 70% of doctors polled said they think patient trust declined from 2020 to 2022, but only 21% of Americans said the same, according to a 2023 poll.
Experts previously told USA TODAY it’s all the more crucial people understand how to distinguish fact from fiction, especially when it comes to their health. More than ever, people should also make sure their health protocols and diets are not clouded by politics or ideology as doing so can help prevent worst-case-scenario outcomes like this one.
A baby died. Three young kids, hospitalized. We need to talk about online medical misinformation.
“Misinformation isn’t a point of view; it does actual harm,” Brian Castrucci, president of the de Beaumont Foundation, the public health philanthropy that commissioned the poll, previously told USA TODAY. “It’s hurting physicians. It’s hurting medical practice. And it’s hurting the American public.”
The horrific Arizona tragedy and how we got here
Police found Tremaure Stanley, 25, and Janiece Brooks, 26, living in a central Phoenix home where their youngest child was discovered dead in July 2023 after Brooks called 911 because their baby was unresponsive. Three surviving siblings, ages 2, 4 and 5 at the time, were subsequently hospitalized with rickets, osteopenia, vitamin D deficiency and significant developmental delays, court records show. The couple was charged with first-degree murder and four counts of child abuse. They met with prosecutors Dec. 1 to discuss a possible plea deal.
Prosecutors said the pattern of harm traces back to an extreme version of the “alkaline diet” the couple imposed on their children, combined with a growing distrust of medical care. Court records show the couple told investigators they relied on online videos and posts that warned against vaccines, infant medical treatments and even common medicines such as Tylenol. They also avoided taking the children to doctor visits, limiting outside contact.
More: Child dies, siblings hospitalized after ‘alkaline diet,’ parents charged
This level of insulation has become increasingly common − and it can have serious consequences, Jessica Steier, a public health scientist and executive director of the nonprofit Unbiased Science, told the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY network.
What is the ‘alkaline diet’?
The alkaline diet in particular has become a dangerous, yet widespread, piece of misinformation. The diet is based on the disproven belief that shifting the body’s acidity levels can cure diseases or “detoxify” the body.
For the children in Arizona, the diet entailed eating mostly vegetables, fruit and plant-based milks − with almost no protein, fats or fortified foods crucial for overall health. Court records show the couple interpreted the children’s rapid weight loss as evidence the diet was working and removing toxins, rather than a sign of medical crisis. “We chose this diet for good health,” Stanley told the court at a Dec. 1 settlement conference.
Fact check: An alkaline diet won’t kill the coronavirus
The alkaline diet has made waves in the oncology community too, offering false hope to those with cancer. It’s also been falsely touted as a cure for COVID-19. The truth, however, is that diets don’t change the pH levels of blood cells or tissues and that eating more alkaline foods is not a proven preventive measure or cure for the coronavirus.
Why do people fall for dangerous health claims?
Jonathan Stea, a clinical psychologist and adjunct assistant professor at the University of Calgary who wrote a book about pseudoscience and misinformation in the wellness industry, told USA TODAY that extreme diets often function less like trends and more like belief systems.
The Arizona case in particular comes at a time when, experts say, public confidence in scientific institutions has deeply frayed. Steier told USA TODAY this distrust has created fertile ground for misinformation to spread, especially in nutrition and wellness spaces.
“They feel out of control, and I think the pandemic really threw gasoline on that fire,” she said. “People are looking for this feeling of control over their health.”
Recent studies from the University of Alberta have shown science becoming more politicized as well, Stea said.
“If someone strongly identifies as a Democrat and then strongly identifies as a Republican, those people might read the same piece of information but interpret it in different ways because they’re coming at it from different belief systems,” he said. “Motivated reasoning kicks in … confirmation bias gets activated.”
When faced with cancer diagnosis, fad diets are not the answer
By promoting fear or false hope, misinformation can also cause mental and physical fatigue, David Novillo Ortiz, unit head on data digital health literacy for the World Health Organization, previously told USA TODAY.
While social media can provide insight into your own health, Dr. Franziska Haydanek, an OBGYN and online health educator, previously advised that new information should always be discussed with your own doctor.
“You might say, ‘Hey, I learned about this condition.’ I feel it might apply to me. Can we talk about if I meet the diagnosis criteria?’”
Contributing: Miguel Torres, Arizona Republic; Alyssa Goldberg, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: An Arizona baby’s alkaline diet death and the risks of misinformation
