Januuary 13, 2007
Oakland, CA – The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance has several questions about the FTC’s announcement that they will be collecting millions of dollars in fines for false weight-loss advertising claims from several manufacturers of diet pills. The makers of One-A-Day WeightSmart Multi-Vitamin, CortiSlim, TrimSpa and Xenadrine EFX have agreed to pay the U.S. government almost $26 million in fines to settle allegations of false, unsubstantiated weight-loss advertising claims. These companies have violated an earlier agency order requiring all health claims to be supported by scientific evidence.
The FTC alleges that in one of their studies, subjects taking Xenadrine EFX lost an average of only 1.5 pounds over the 10-week study, while a control group taking a placebo lost an average of 2.5 pounds over the same period. The agency also said that consumer endorsers featured in ads were paid up to $20,000 for their appearances after losing weight with rigorous diet or exercise programs.
NAAFA would like to know why, since the FTC has conducted studies which prove that these diet pills do not work, hasn't the results of those studies been made available to the general public? NAAFA wants to know what happens to the money that the FTC is collecting? For what will this money be used? How about all the people who have paid these companies millions of dollars for their worthless products? Do they have any rights in this situation? NAAFA would like to ask that some of the money be spent on public service announcements on all major networks informing consumera that these diet pills do not work.
Founded in 1969, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
On the web: http://www.naafa.org
For more information contact:
Peggy Howell, Public Relations Chairman
National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA)
e-mail: naafa_pr@yahoo.com phone: (707)246-6116