{"id":1882,"date":"2016-06-28T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T11:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/?p=1882"},"modified":"2016-06-27T19:20:52","modified_gmt":"2016-06-27T23:20:52","slug":"3-weight-loss-scams-to-avoid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chaneyhealth.com\/healthtips\/3-weight-loss-scams-to-avoid\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Weight Loss Scams To Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Weight Loss, Wealth Loss, Or Health Loss?<\/p>\n

Author: Dr. Stephen Chaney<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"weight<\/a>P.T. Barnum once said \u201cThere\u2019s a sucker born every minute\u201d.\u00a0 Those words were never truer than in the weight loss industry and weight loss scams.<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen the ads: \u201cLose 4 pounds\/week of belly fat\u201d; \u201cLose 40 pounds in two weeks\u201d; \u201cburns off fat effortlessly\u201d; \u201cThe pounds just melt away\u201d. It\u2019s hard to believe that people actually fall for those ads. Yet they do.<\/p>\n

The problem is that weight loss is hard. You have to change your lifestyle \u2013 eat healthier, exercise more, give up some of your favorite foods. Even worse you can\u2019t just make those changes for a few weeks or a few months. Those lifestyle changes need to be permanent if you wish to achieve lasting weight loss.<\/p>\n

That just doesn\u2019t fit with the American psyche. After all, our doctors and the TV ads promise us a \u201cpill for every ill<\/strong>\u201d. If you think that way, it is only logical that there should be a pill for weight loss.<\/p>\n

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Unfortunately, the unscrupulous supplement manufacturers are only too happy to fill that expectation. They don\u2019t care whether their products actually work or whether they may actually kill you. They just want to make a quick buck.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Here are the 3 weight loss scams making headlines today.<\/p>\n

3 Weight Loss Scams to Avoid<\/h2>\n

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Fake Weight Loss Marketing Schemes<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"weight<\/a>The first 2 weight loss scams<\/strong> fall into the category of ones that lighten your wallet. In a recent press release<\/strong>\u00a0the FTC recently charged two Florida-based supplement manufacturers of concocting elaborate, but completely fraudulent, marketing schemes<\/a> to sell their weight loss products\u2013 one containing forskolin and another containing white kidney bean extract.<\/p>\n

The schemes started with the marketers hacking people\u2019s email accounts and sending messages touting the fake products to all of their contacts. The messages were worded in such a way that the email appeared to be a recommendation of the product coming from a trusted friend or family member.<\/p>\n

The emails were linked to fake \u201cnews websites\u201d that were designed to look like they were put up by an independent consumer reporter who had reviewed and endorsed the product rather than by the product manufacturers. These web sites featured glowing testimonials from consumers who had supposedly lost significant weight using those products. Of course, the fake \u201cnews websites\u201d contained links that took consumers to websites where they could purchase the products.<\/p>\n

In the complaint they filed in court, the FTC said \u201cthese weight loss claims are false and lack scientific support\u201d. \u00a0In plain English, the FTC was saying that the testimonials were made up and there was no scientific evidence that the products actually worked. \u00a0The fake \u201cnews websites\u201d also said that the products were endorsed by Oprah and a television show called \u201cThe Doctors.\u201d \u00a0 The FTC said that both of those claims were also false.<\/p>\n

And, if all of this weren\u2019t enough, the defendants in these two cases then approached people who had legitimate health and weight loss blogs with large followings and offered them affiliate status if they would feature links to the fake \u201cnews websites\u201d the defendants had constructed. In plain English, affiliate status means that the owners of the blogs receive a commission whenever someone started from their blog and clicked all the way through to one of the defendant\u2019s sites and bought a product*.<\/p>\n

The FTC is seeking an immediate injunction that would shut down these fraudulent marketing schemes and prevent the companies from selling fake products that don\u2019t work. \u00a0I hope the FTC is successful at obtaining the injunction against both companies, and I hope it happens quickly. Unscrupulous manufacturers like this need to be put out of business. \u00a0Please, be careful to avoid these kind of weight loss scams.<\/p>\n

*Just so you know, I have also been approached by companies offering \u201cHealth Tips From the Professor\u201d affiliate status for marketing their products. \u00a0I have chosen not to do that. \u00a0I don\u2019t want to become like so many other popular health blogs that seem to be more about marketing than about health. \u00a0I will not feature any product I don\u2019t believe in on my site. \u00a0Integrity is more important than money.<\/p>\n

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Weight Loss Products That Might Actually Kill You<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"weight<\/a>The third of the weight loss scams is of the more dangerous kind \u2013 one that might even kill you.<\/p>\n

The FDA recently sent a warning letter<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to a marketing company called The Ultimate Weight Loss Company claiming that 3 of their weight loss products that were labeled as containing bee pollen actually contained two undeclared drugs that the FDA has banned for consumer use.<\/p>\n

The first undeclared drug in their products is a compound called phenolphthalein, which was widely used in laxative drugs. It was also widely used in weight loss products because its laxative effect also causes water loss from the body \u2013 giving the appearance of rapid weight loss. However, research in the 90s suggested that it also increased the risk of several cancers. \u00a0Laxative and weight loss drugs containing phenolphthalein were subsequently withdrawn from the market and the FDA currently classifies phenolphthalein as an unapproved drug.<\/p>\n

The second undeclared drug in their products is a compound called sibutramine. Sibutramine suppresses appetite and increases metabolic rate. It was the active ingredient in a weight loss drug called Meridia, which was initially approved by the FDA in 1997.<\/p>\n

The problem is that, like many drugs that increase metabolic rate, sibutramine also increases heart rate. While that is relatively benign for some people, it can cause arrhythmia, heart attack and stroke in anyone with a weakened cardiovascular system.<\/p>\n

A large clinical study published in 2010 (James et al, New England Journal of Medicine, 363: 905-917, 2010) showed that Meridia significantly increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in subjects with preexisting heart disease<\/a>. Shortly after that the FDA declared that it caused an unacceptably high risk of heart attack and stroke, and it was withdrawn from the market. The FDA currently classifies subutramine as an unapproved drug as well.<\/p>\n

Of course, some of you are probably saying to yourself: \u201cMy heart is fine. If this drug suppresses my appetite and revs up my metabolism, where can I get it?\u201d \u00a0My response is: \u201cNot so fast. Here are a few statistics you should know\u201d:<\/p>\n