What’s one of the most common New Year’s resolutions? ‘I’m gonna lose weight.’
In reality, you won’t. Unless you eat less and exercise more. Unless you reduce input and increase output of energy — calories.
It isn’t rocket science.
But it requires a disciplined approach. A sustained effort that most people won’t make.
So, what does the market and the marketers do for us? They provide a product, a pill, a potion that substitutes for the needed work — and sometimes that product or pill or potion can help.
But sometimes it can hurt or even kill the would be dieter.
Now if that pill is a prescription item, the FDA can regulate that, and has to approve it. Then, it may take some time to find out how the side effects can turn the motivation to be healthier into the method of getting sicker.
However, if that pill or capsule is available over the counter, there aren’t any double blind trials. There aren’t any peer reviewed studies concerning the efficacy or safety of that non-prescription product — at least not usually.
That’s where things can get really scary.
Let’s get back to that market we mentioned. Weight loss is a big one, a really big one, when it comes to those in search of ‘less is more’. In 2023, the weight loss market was worth ninety billion dollars.[1]
In 2024, the average American, who vowed to lose weight in the New Year, well that guy weighs just under 200 pounds. And the female version weighs around 171 pounds. They are fat. [2]
In fact, the CDC tells us that forty percent of America is obese.[3]
So, we have about one hundred and thirty four million people seeking to lose their avoirdupois in a ninety billion dollar market. With that kind of profit potential from the portly, it’s no surprise there are some corners cut, some sharp practices, and some downright dangerous developments.
Let’s take a look.
Sometimes diet products don’t really make scientific sense, like Sensa, for instance.
Sensa was a heavily marketed diet product that claimed by sprinkling it on food, it would decrease the user’s appetite, and they would lose weight. No need for cutting out certain foods, no need for exercise, just sprinkle your poundage away.
Does that sound too good to be true? Yes, and in a 2014 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over Sensa’s advertising claims, (which did not hold much weight), the company had to pay twenty-six and one half million dollars to consumers.
The hopeful dieters had been lightened in their wallets by Sensa’s claims of the possibility of losing thirty pounds in six months by sprinkling Sensa on their food.[4]
So if you can’t sprinkle the weight away, perhaps the right coffee based product will do it. Pure Green Coffee claimed they could do it. This was a product promoted by the one and only Dr. Oz on his show.
Pure Green Coffee claimed it was a fast-acting fat dissolver. That without changing the diet, without engaging in exercise, the users ‘can lose 20 pounds in four weeks; 16 percent of body fat in twelve weeks; and 30 pounds and four-to-six inches of belly fat in three to five months.’
Amazingly enough, these claims were not only false, but they were backed up by non-existent media coverage. Jessica Rich, who in 2014 was the Director of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission said:
‘Not only did these defendants trick consumers with their phony weight loss claims, they also compounded the deception by advertising on pretend news sites, making it impossible for people to know whether they were seeing news or an ad.’[5]
The Federal Trade Commission sued, and the case was settled for three million five hundred thousand dollars.[6]
Well, it’s no surprise that we can’t often trust the claims of unregulated products, but what about prescription diet pills? Surely they are safe, they have to be tested and approved by the Federal Drug Administration.
The quick generic answer to that is to ask yourself — did you ever see a television commercial for a prescription medicine? The first fifteen seconds shows you smiley happy people feeling better from the med, and then the next forty-five seconds are a rapid-fire disclosure of how taking this drug can kill you in six impossible ways before breakfast.
Most of the readers have by now heard of Ozempic and its fellow medications that not only are used in the fight against diabetes, but can contribute to significant weight loss in those who take the medicine. It’s true, weight loss can occur, and so can a lot of other things you don’t probably want.
Ozempic is a trade name for semaglutide, and here’s what it might do to you…
It can give you nausea and cause vomiting; it can give you, either, diarrhea or constipation, stomach pain, headache, heartburn, and other things devoutly not to be wished. But just in case, like Oliver Twist, you want some more, here you go…
Vision problems, bodily swelling, rash, reduced urination, rapid heartbeat, and breathing and swallowing problems while you contemplate the yellow eyes and skin you can get from it as a bonus.[7]
It’s not only the brand name Ozempic, it’s other differently branded names of semaglutide, that can cause these problems.
After the above examples, the old standby of calorie reduction coupled with exercise increase is looking pretty good, no?
Why You Should Care
Your health is your wealth. You know there are certain things that can increase your chances of serious and sometimes fatal illness — like obesity. You know that by reducing your weight you increase the chances for a long healthy life.
But you are relying upon the purveyor of diet products, whether over the counter or from the prescription pad to help you lose the weight, stay healthy, live longer. If they lie to you about results, if they smooth over the potentially dangerous side effects, not only are you being financially defrauded, but your very life is being put at risk.
Certain government agencies, while they still exist, are useful in protecting the consumer. The FDA, the FTC have brought those who engage in medical malfeasance to justice, and have made it financially unprofitable to engage in consumer fraud.
But in the end, it is the consumer himself — you — that must look at the facts and not the fantasies behind weight loss. The life you save, the pounds you lose, will be your own.
[1] YAHOO FINANCE 5/31/24 https://finance.yahoo.com/news/united-states-weight-loss-market-084700368.html
[2] CDC NATIONALCENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/body-measurements.htm
[3] Sept. 24 CDC NATONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db508.htm
[4] Sensa to Pay $26.5 Million for Consumer Refunds 1/7/14 FTC PRESS RELEASE https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2014/01/sensa-three-other-marketers-fad-weight-loss-products-settle-ftc-charges-crackdown-deceptive
[5] FTC Charges Green Coffee Bean Sellers with Deceiving Consumers through Fake News Sites and Bogus Weight Loss Claims FTC PRESS RELEASSE 5/19/14 https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2014/05/ftc-charges-green-coffee-bean-sellers-deceiving-consumers-through-fake-news-sites-bogus-weight-loss
6 Applied Food Sciences, Inc. Will Pay $3.5 Million and Must Substantiate Future Claims FTC PRESS RELEASE 9/8/14 https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2014/09/green-coffee-bean-manufacturer-settles-ftc-charges-pushing-its-product-based-results-seriously
[7] Semaglutide for weight loss (Ozempic) WITHIN, Crane & Scarfati, https://withinhealth.com/learn/articles/semaglutide-ozempic-weight-loss-risks