TikTokers say bee pollen made their boobs bigger, but a doctor isn't convinced
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- Bee pollen has gone viral on TikTok recently for supposedly making users' boobs bigger.
- However, Dr. Karan Raj said evidence on bee pollen increasing breast size is lacking.
- Their breasts may have changed because of hormones, birth control, or weight fluctuation.
With 72.9 million views on the hashtag, bee pollen seems to be the latest supplement trending on TikTok as some creators claim that it made their breasts bigger.
In one video with 14.8 million views, TikToker Camila Elle said as she gestured to her chest: "I've been taking bee pollen for months now, and I can testify that it does make your… grow bigger." She then posted before and after pictures, claiming she went from an A cup to a B after taking bee pollen for ten months.
TikToker Elly Bear has been documenting her experiences taking bee pollen for two weeks, and most recently uploaded a before and after video that appeared to show her breasts were bigger, saying "you can see a huge difference."
Although there is nothing to suggest the TikTokers did this, Insider previously reported on how factors such as lighting and filters can make images on social media misleading.
The buzz is anecdotal
Many of the videos Insider watched featured TikTokers talking about their breasts growing after taking bee pollen for its under-researched potential health benefits. They noticed the growth coincidentally, after seeing others talking about it on TikTok.
One TikToker said: "This is literally just something that I saw (on TikTok) and then noticed in my own body."
Realistically, there are a host of reasons why breasts might look or feel different during the period the TikTokers took the bee pollen, including hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, starting or stopping birth control, and weight loss or gain.
There's no scientific evidence that bee pollen makes your boobs bigger
Dr. Karan Rajan, a surgeon for the National Health Service in the UK who regularly corrects medical misinformation on TikTok, stitched Elle's video to explain why bee pollen likely won't "make your nunga nungas bigger."
Rajan said: "Supposedly bee pollen is rich in phytoestrogens, naturally occurring plant chemicals which are meant to mimic estrogen in the body." He said that different parts of the breasts change at different points in the menstrual cycle when there are higher levels of estrogen and progesterone in the body, because they contain the most hormone-sensitive tissues in the body.
"Unfortunately, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that bee pollen can increase the size" of your breasts, despite containing phytoestrogens, he said.
The only things that might increase a person's breast size are birth control medication, hormone therapy, or medication side effects, according to Rajan.