Registered Dietician Abby Lager has recently published an article in Men’s Health, in which she revealed seven warning signals of dietary supplements, which she calls them a nutrition scam.
She wrote, “In my years of experience within the nutrition field, I’ve seen countless nutrition scams come and go.”
Lager, the owner of Abby Lager Nutrition, a Toronto-based nutrition consulting and communications company, said she has determined seven warning signals of dietary supplement.
1. Emotional stories “from rags to riches”
She explained that many nutrition scams come up with powerful stories to convince you that dietary supplements are beneficial for your health. They play with your emotions in various ways to promote their products. They will show you stories about autoimmune diseases being cured with the extract of herbs, which is untrue.
2. Scare tactics to sell
The dietician explained that fear may motivate some, but using scare tactics to sell the products is irresponsible and disingenuous. She wrote, “One popular diet falsely claims that nightshades and legumes are both ‘toxic’ and ‘inflammatory,’ which sounds ominous, especially because we have always known these foods to be healthy.”
3. Decorated pills
Many nutrition scams make you buy their products by giving them a touch of attractive pills or powders. Most of these products, including “lectin blockers, gluten blockers, fat burners, and metabolic support supplements,” are completely useless, explained Lager.
4. Not enough RDs
Many physicians are getting into the nutrition field showing their doctorate credentials. Similarly, many nutritionists and trainers entered the industry without formal training in nutrition. It is a warning signal when someone who does not have enough training in nutrition but claims to be a personal trainer or doctor with an idea of reducing weight instantly.
5. False claims
Many supplement manufacturers claim that their products cure certain medical conditions. Well, that’s not true. If any dietary supplement or product had cured any condition, the FDA would have looked into it.
6. Unmeasurable claims
They also claim that their products can cleanse, rest your organs, get rid of adrenal fatigue and even candida, which are not measurable. It is difficult to assess the efficacy of a product if you cannot measure the baseline, Lager explained.
7. No human trials
All the research is done on rodents. There are no human studies. In fact, 40 percent of reviews or testimonials are false, according to a survey. So, do not fall prey to those fake reviews.
Lager advises you to keep these red flags in your mind and protect yourself from dietary supplements that usually do not work.
