AAP FACTCHECK – Videos of banned naturopath Barbara O’Neill spruiking “anti-aging” supplements on social media are fake.
Genuine videos of Ms O’Neill have been manipulated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to make it appear as if she is promoting various substances.
Ms O’Neill gives online talks about alternative health remedies, despite being permanently barred from providing health services by NSW authorities.
AAP FactCheck has previously debunked several claims Ms O’Neill has made about topics including vaccines, heart attacks and dentistry.
Videos showing her supposedly revealing secrets to staying young have appeared on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
“Barbara O Neel shares the holistict (sic) health secret that makes her look like she is in her 40s at 93”, the text overlay of one video reads.
In many of the videos, Ms O’Neill supposedly says: “This supplement contains 95 out of 102 essential nutrients for the human body.”
However, reverse image searches reveal these videos have manipulated the originals using AI technology.
AAP FactCheck traced footage from one of the deepfake videos back to a presentation Ms O’Neill gave titled “The Importance of Salt Water”, in which she never references any supplements.
AAP FactCheck traced another of the altered videos to a TikTok post, in which Ms O’Neill also spoke about salt and water.
Another clue the videos are altered is that many claim Ms O’Neill is 93 years old. However, at the time of writing she is 71, having been born in 1953 according to the statement announcing her ban on providing health services issued by the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission.
Ms O’Neill also released a video on her own Facebook page addressing the fake endorsements, suggesting they’d been created with AI.
Many of the manipulated videos promote a supplement called “shilajit”, a black sticky substance from the rocks of the Himalayas and a staple of traditional Indian medicine.
There’s very little reliable scientific evidence on the benefits of shilajit in humans.
One of the manipulated videos on TikTok, from a page called “Native Shilajit Health”, has been viewed over 1.4 million times.
Lead Stories has previously debunked another series of deepfakes selling shilajit which featured X owner Elon Musk.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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