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26/11/2008
Don't Waste Cash On 'Quack' Weight Loss, Say Docs
Billions of pounds are being wasted on 'quack' health food products, according to top medics.
Globally every year, obese people waste billions of pounds on food products that claim they aid weight loss, but are totally ineffective, says a nutritional expert on the British Medical Journal website, bmj.com today.
Professor Lean from the University of Glasgow, is hopeful that a new European Union (EU) Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices, adopted this year in UK, will finally protect vulnerable consumers who are tricked into to buying useless food products or supplements in attempts to combat their disease.
Unlike medicines, food products that are marketed for health reasons are not subject to the same stringent research trials and control, and consumers are often misled.
It is already illegal for unsubstantiated claims to be made about the composition or nutritional function of food products, e.g. that they are low in fat, high in fibre or help lower cholesterol, and it is also illegal to claim that a food can treat or prevent any disease - including obesity.
However, many unsubstantiated health claims are still made, or implied. Misleading marketing can be found within brand names and images on packaging, in shelf or shop names, or on websites which suggest that products help weight control, are slimming, or are 'Health Foods', when there is no evidence.
Lean is concerned that obese people have been fooled into parting with billions of pounds every year on products that cannot help them. In 2000, people in the US spent $35bn (£22bn) on weight loss products, many of them making false and unsubstantiated claims.
The 'commercial exploitation of vulnerable patients with quack medicines' will hopefully be brought to an end with the introduction of the new EU directive, said Lean.
However, the laws need to be enforced proactively to enable doctors and consumers to move towards managing diseases confidently with evidence based treatment and diet programmes.
He points out that, of all the hundreds of products currently on sale to help people lose weight, only energy-restricted diets and exercise, the drugs orlistat and sibutramine, and in some cases bariatric surgery, are safe, effective and cost-effective.
The remainder, he said, "are either not effective or not safe", however, the new regulations "may even help with the bigger battle to prevent obesity, by prohibiting advertisements across the EU that encourage children to buy energy dense products or to pester their parents to buy them," he added.
(BMcC)
Globally every year, obese people waste billions of pounds on food products that claim they aid weight loss, but are totally ineffective, says a nutritional expert on the British Medical Journal website, bmj.com today.
Professor Lean from the University of Glasgow, is hopeful that a new European Union (EU) Directive on Unfair Commercial Practices, adopted this year in UK, will finally protect vulnerable consumers who are tricked into to buying useless food products or supplements in attempts to combat their disease.
Unlike medicines, food products that are marketed for health reasons are not subject to the same stringent research trials and control, and consumers are often misled.
It is already illegal for unsubstantiated claims to be made about the composition or nutritional function of food products, e.g. that they are low in fat, high in fibre or help lower cholesterol, and it is also illegal to claim that a food can treat or prevent any disease - including obesity.
However, many unsubstantiated health claims are still made, or implied. Misleading marketing can be found within brand names and images on packaging, in shelf or shop names, or on websites which suggest that products help weight control, are slimming, or are 'Health Foods', when there is no evidence.
Lean is concerned that obese people have been fooled into parting with billions of pounds every year on products that cannot help them. In 2000, people in the US spent $35bn (£22bn) on weight loss products, many of them making false and unsubstantiated claims.
The 'commercial exploitation of vulnerable patients with quack medicines' will hopefully be brought to an end with the introduction of the new EU directive, said Lean.
However, the laws need to be enforced proactively to enable doctors and consumers to move towards managing diseases confidently with evidence based treatment and diet programmes.
He points out that, of all the hundreds of products currently on sale to help people lose weight, only energy-restricted diets and exercise, the drugs orlistat and sibutramine, and in some cases bariatric surgery, are safe, effective and cost-effective.
The remainder, he said, "are either not effective or not safe", however, the new regulations "may even help with the bigger battle to prevent obesity, by prohibiting advertisements across the EU that encourage children to buy energy dense products or to pester their parents to buy them," he added.
(BMcC)
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The Food Standards Agency is today advising people not to eat foods that have been inadvertently contaminated with an illegal dye, Sudan I. This dye was in a batch of chilli powder used by Premier Foods to manufacture a Worcester sauce, which was then used as an ingredient in a wide range of products. A list of foods known to be affected at www.
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Tourists warned of risks of bringing food into the UK
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Tourists warned of risks of bringing food into the UK
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A showery start with outbreaks most frequent north of Lough Neagh and through the morning, before dwindling during the afternoon as the northwest breezes ease and brighter spells of weak sunshine prosper. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A dry night, save for a few light showers around the coasts, with prolonged clear spells and light winds bringing a frosty dawn for many in central and southern parts. Minimum temperature -3 °C.
