eight-loss advertising is riddled with false or misleading claims that prey on millions of overweight people seeking help to shed pounds
The Federal Trade Commission found that 55 percent of weight-loss ads make claims that lack proof or very likely are false.
"There are no fast and easy fixes," Surgeon General Richard Carmona wrote in a preface to the study. "The public must adopt a healthy skepticism about advertising that promises miracles and scientific breakthroughs."
Carmona said companies should use real weight-loss results in their promotions and publishers and broadcasters should screen ads they run to ensure they "are based on science and not on wishful thinking."
Diet Products a $35 Billion Industry
About 61 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, the report said, and more than two-thirds of all Americans are trying to lose or keep off weight. Consumers spent about $35 billion in 2000 on weight-loss products ranging from books and videos to drugs and diet shakes, the report said.
The FTC conducted the study with the Partnership for Healthy Weight Management, a coalition that includes scientists, government agencies and weight-loss companies.
Researchers examined 300 weight-loss advertisements that ran mostly during the first half of 2001. The ads were taken from television, radio, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, e-mail and direct mail.
The FTC also said its efforts against deceptive marketing for weight-loss products have increased.
Red Flags on Claims Made by Weight-Loss Ads
The FTC says the following types of weight-loss ads should send up automatic red flags:
- Consumer Testimonials & Before/After Photos: The use of consumer testimonials in weight-loss advertising is very common. These include ads where individuals make claims such as "I lost 46 pounds in 30 days," but they rarely portray realistic weight loss.
- Rapid Weight-Loss Claims: These ads promote the loss of a large amount of weight in a short amount of time thanks to their product, and may seem obviously unrealistic.
- No Diet or Exercise Required: Despite the well-accepted prescription of diet and exercise, this type of ad claims that results can be achieved without reducing caloric intake or increasing physical activity. Some tell consumers that "you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight."
- Long-Term/Permanent Weight-Loss Claims: Programs or products that claim you can "lose weight and keep it off" are questionable, since there is little scientific research available about long-term or permanent weight-loss claims for most of today's popular diet products.
- Clinically Proven/Doctor-Approved Claims: These ads try to convey a type of scientific backing for the product; however, the difference between use of the product and dieting alone could be quite small.
- Natural/Safe Weight-Loss Claims: Ads that promote a product as being safe or "all natural" can be difficult to evaluate, especially when so many ads fail to disclose the active ingredients in the product.
False 'Fat Trapper'
In April 2000, Enforma Natural Products, which advertised and sold "The Enforma System," agreed to repay $10 million to customers to settle FTC charges that they used false claims about scientific testing.
The company promoted its two products - "Fat Trapper" and "Exercise In A Bottle" - primarily with 30-minute infomercials featuring former baseball player Steve Garvey. The company claimed the system could block fat from being absorbed and increase the body's capacity to burn it off.
The new report found that many of the 2001 ads defied scientific facts and were obviously false. Some ads promised substantial and rapid weight-loss without surgery, diet or exercise, while others claimed users of a product could eat as much as they wanted and still lose weight.
"By promoting unrealistic expectations and false hopes, they doom current weight-loss efforts to failure and make future attempts less likely to succeed," said Dr. George Blackburn, a professor of nutrition at Harvard Medical School-Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
'Have You Seen an Overweight Fish?'
Blackburn said some weight-loss supplements lack safety warnings and can be dangerous.
Ephedra, a popular herb commonly used for weight loss and bodybuilding, has long been controversial. The FDA has reports of 100 deaths among ephedra users.
The Justice Department said last month that it is conducting a criminal investigation into whether Metabolife International, the nation's leading seller of the supplement, lied about the safety of ephedra.
While the FTC study did not criticize specific products, it provided many examples of false or exaggerated claims.
One product made from the ground-up shells of shrimps, crabs and lobsters was promoted with statements like "Have you ever seen an overweight fish? Or an oyster with a few pounds too many?"
"To lose weight and not regain it, ongoing changes in thinking, eating and exercise are essential," Blackburn said. He said that when people know more about the realities of weight-loss, "fewer will be inclined to waste their money, time and effort on dangerous fads."
