Weight Management

		Terry Brown, MPH, RD/LD Section Editor, Weight Management Clinical Instructor, Department of Clinical Nutrition UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas

Spotting bogus weight loss ads
Posted: November 2004
Source: Terry Brown, MPH, RD/LD

Millions of Americans are either overweight or obese and are trying to lose weight at any given time. They are bombarded with weight loss advertisements claiming that you can "eat anything you want and still lose weight" or "lose 30 pounds in 30 days" or "lose weight while you sleep" , and the claims go on and on. .

The "Big Fat Lie Initiative" launched November 9th by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is a national law enforcement campaign to crackdown on deceptive weight loss claims. The intent of this campaign is to stop deceptive advertisements, provide refunds to consumers harmed by false weight loss claims, encourage the media not to run these deceptive advertisements, and most importantly to educate consumers on identifying bogus weight loss advertisements.

The FTC has developed the Red Flag Education Campaign to help consumers and the media identify bogus weight loss claims. The seven red flags are listed below:

Red Flags

Be skeptical of any weight loss advertisement that claims to:

• Cause weight loss of two pounds or more every week for a month or more without dieting or exercise

• Cause substantial weight loss no matter what or how much the consumer eats

• Cause permanent weight loss, even when the consumer stops using the product

• Blocks the absorption of fat or calories to enable consumers to lose substantial weight

• Safely enable consumers to lose more than three pounds a week for 4 weeks or more

• Cause substantial weight loss for all consumers

• Cause substantial weight loss by wearing it on the body or rubbing it into the skin

What Can You Do

Look for Red Flags and report bogus advertisements to the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or complete an online complaint form at www.ftc.gov