Small print in ads for diet products should set off all your alarm bells. It’s one thing to have a disclaimer reading “individual results may vary” to have one that reads “exceptional results.” Exceptional means most people won’t get the results shown in the ad.
If that’s not enough to scare you off, keep reading. An outstanding 98 percent of all diet pills in the market now include a disclaimer that reads “diet and exercise required.” Nutritionists see this as a last-resort attempt the companies make to protect themselves against lawsuits –If you don’t lose any weight, they can claim is because you didn’t follow all recommendations included with their “magical” product.
They tell you the secret is in something you have to wear
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently ordered the marketers of “Peel Away the Pounds” weight-loss patch to pay over $1 million in consumer restitutions. The FTC charged them with false advertisement and violations of the FTC Act. Over a dozen other companies that offer weight-loss patches are currently under investigation. “Although anti-smoking and contraceptive patches have proven useful to millions, there is currently no weight-loss drug that can be administered through the skin,” says Wolff. “I’m not saying it’s not possible and that it won’t be done in ten or fifteen years, but right now it doesn’t exist.”
Acupressure devices such as earrings, bracelets, and even “slimming insoles” fall in the same category. They claim to work by applying pressure on specific points of the body, which in turn reduce appetite and cravings, and aid in weight loss.
They enlist medical “experts”
What most people don’t know is that, according to the First Amendment of the Constitution, anybody can express an opinion without having to present evidence to back it up. This includes, of course, “experts” who claim their magic pill may be the solution to all your weight problems. As long as they don’t make false guarantees, anything they said is considered an opinion, and the FTC has no power to intervene.
Always check the credentials of the expert offering the testimony. Is she or he a Registered Dietitian? A medical doctor? A researcher? Because somebody describes himself as a nutrition expert does not mean he is actually licensed to practice.