Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

The Healthy Weight Network has released their Slim Chance Awards for 2008.

• Slim Chance Awards 2008: Fraud and Quackery

In their Worst Claim category, they awarded AbGONE with the trophy:

WORST CLAIM: AbGONE. Throughout 2008 full page ads assaulted the eye in daily newspapers across the country touting AbGONE as “proven to promote pot belly loss.” Claims are that AbGONE increases “fat metabolism” and calorie burn, promotes appetite suppression and inhibits future abdominal fat deposits. These are drug claims that, if true, would alter the body’s regulation, but unlike drugs, the pills are sold as food supplements not requiring FDA approval. The bold ads feature the obligatory before and after shots of models, cut-away sketches of the abdomen with and without belly fat, and a white-coated researcher with chart purportedly confirming success of 5 times reduction in fat mass, 4 times lower BMI, 4 times greater weight loss than placebo. No added diet and exercise needed – well, except, you may want to heed the fine print disclaimer at the bottom that reminds us “diet and exercise are essential.”

This is yet another product that flew completely under my radar. I know there are advertisements everywhere for pills that are supposed to help me lose weight, but I’ve completely disregarded all of them. I don’t even see them anymore, mostly because I’ve become so numb to the idea that a pill could help me. I probably saw the full page ads promoting this product, but I immediately ignored them. That’s probably a good tactic for all of us.