Weight management products: Big fat lie
Have you been on Twitter lately? Ever noticed how many health experts there are? Ever followed somebody and be offered a 'free gift' in return, only to discover it is just another sales pitch designed to relieve you of your precious cash in exchange for the best weight management product ever invented? Yeah, me too.
NutraIngredients.com reports on the relatively unregulated state of the weight management product market, noting curiously that neither the FDA (USA) or EFSA (Europe) have ever approved any weight management claims for products. Not one! Does that mean nothing works? I'm an Aussie, so I can't really comment on the FDA or EFSA, their agenda or capacity to objectively assess weight management claims. However, it is fair to say this is one giant apple waiting to be cracked.
The weight management industry is worth billions globally. I am constantly bombarded with weight management products and programs under various tags such as 'the guaranteed way to lose weight fast', 'the foolproof fat burning program', 'lose weight fast and keep it off', and my favourite 'reset your metabolism - guaranteed'.
Is it any wonder that the FDA hasn't approved any of these claims? This is nothing more than marketing. Legally it's referred to as 'puff'; something so ridiculous that nobody is actually expected to believe it is for real. I've never had a weight problem, but I've watched around 2000 people go through my weight management clinics with varying degrees of success, and I agree with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that no "supplement can cause weight loss without lifestyle changes".
But herein lies the conundrum - if supplements don't work without lifestyle changes, then surely when a product is bundled with the right lifestyle change, the health claim should be allowed? Maybe. But what kind of lifestyle changes are we talking about? Every time I hear or read about lifestyle changes, all I get is essentially "eat less and do more exercise".
Honestly, if it were that easy, we would not have an obesity epidemic. I've spoken with hundreds of deperate overwight people who swear black and blue that they have tried everything they could and if they were lucky enough to lose some weight, they usually regained it and more within a few months of finishing their diet or exercise program.
Ever wondered why? I've said previously that losing weight does not cure Obesity Sydnrome. This is the precise reason why no supplement will ever work without lifestyle changes. Obesity Syndrome is chronic, meaning it is (for the time being) incurable. Once you have it, you have it for life. In the same way as a diabetic must change the lifestyle to manage their condition, so people with Obesity Syndrome must change their lifestyle permanently in order to keep it under control (ie: maintain their ideal weight).
Understanding the causes of Obesity Syndrome is vital if the correct lifestyle changes are to be implemented. It is not simply a matter of eating less and exercising more. Calories don't make that much different, because a body with Obesity Syndrome will process virtually all food incorrectly.
Confused? Read back through some of my previous blogs and you'll start to understand the depth of the problem. Over the coming few weeks, we'll start to discuss some lifestyle changes that can (and should) be made to keep Obesity Syndrome under control. Rest assured, it doesn't include any weight loss supplements!
NutraIngredients.com reports on the relatively unregulated state of the weight management product market, noting curiously that neither the FDA (USA) or EFSA (Europe) have ever approved any weight management claims for products. Not one! Does that mean nothing works? I'm an Aussie, so I can't really comment on the FDA or EFSA, their agenda or capacity to objectively assess weight management claims. However, it is fair to say this is one giant apple waiting to be cracked.
The weight management industry is worth billions globally. I am constantly bombarded with weight management products and programs under various tags such as 'the guaranteed way to lose weight fast', 'the foolproof fat burning program', 'lose weight fast and keep it off', and my favourite 'reset your metabolism - guaranteed'.
Is it any wonder that the FDA hasn't approved any of these claims? This is nothing more than marketing. Legally it's referred to as 'puff'; something so ridiculous that nobody is actually expected to believe it is for real. I've never had a weight problem, but I've watched around 2000 people go through my weight management clinics with varying degrees of success, and I agree with the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) that no "supplement can cause weight loss without lifestyle changes".
But herein lies the conundrum - if supplements don't work without lifestyle changes, then surely when a product is bundled with the right lifestyle change, the health claim should be allowed? Maybe. But what kind of lifestyle changes are we talking about? Every time I hear or read about lifestyle changes, all I get is essentially "eat less and do more exercise".
Honestly, if it were that easy, we would not have an obesity epidemic. I've spoken with hundreds of deperate overwight people who swear black and blue that they have tried everything they could and if they were lucky enough to lose some weight, they usually regained it and more within a few months of finishing their diet or exercise program.
Ever wondered why? I've said previously that losing weight does not cure Obesity Sydnrome. This is the precise reason why no supplement will ever work without lifestyle changes. Obesity Syndrome is chronic, meaning it is (for the time being) incurable. Once you have it, you have it for life. In the same way as a diabetic must change the lifestyle to manage their condition, so people with Obesity Syndrome must change their lifestyle permanently in order to keep it under control (ie: maintain their ideal weight).
Understanding the causes of Obesity Syndrome is vital if the correct lifestyle changes are to be implemented. It is not simply a matter of eating less and exercising more. Calories don't make that much different, because a body with Obesity Syndrome will process virtually all food incorrectly.
Confused? Read back through some of my previous blogs and you'll start to understand the depth of the problem. Over the coming few weeks, we'll start to discuss some lifestyle changes that can (and should) be made to keep Obesity Syndrome under control. Rest assured, it doesn't include any weight loss supplements!
posted by TD at
9:23 PM
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