Health Options Alan Titchenal  & Joannie Dobbs                    Wednesday, January 22, 2003

Supplement marketing can get creative

Marketers of nutrition products are some of the most creative people in the world. We often ask ourselves, "How did they come up with THAT?" The claims below paraphrase and debunk some of the most ridiculous marketing claims we have heard lately.

Claim: Our natural liquid vitamin and mineral formula has a 98 percent absorption rate.

Fact: Putting nutrients in liquid form does not increase their absorption to this extent. Major brands of vitamin and mineral pills are designed to dissolve into liquid form shortly after entering the stomach. For some nutrients, it could be dangerous to absorb 98 percent in a short period.

Claim: This liquid supplement bypasses the digestive system and goes directly into the blood stream and into cells within a matter of minutes.

Fact: The only way to bypass the digestive system is by injecting the liquid into a blood vessel or using suppositories. This product indicates that it should be taken by mouth. Ridiculous statements like this tell us we can't believe anything from these promoters.

Claim: Our nutrient formula is absorbed within a matter of minutes, which saves body energy on digestion. Digestion utilizes more energy than any other system in the body.

Fact: Most vitamins and minerals in supplements simply dissolve and are absorbed -- they are not digested. At any rate, digestion of nutrients in food uses less than 10 percent of the body's total energy expenditure. If digestion really used up so much energy, we would be able to lose weight by simply eating more!

Claim: Our product contains 121 essential nutrients.

Fact: Fewer than 50 essential nutrients have been identified by the National Academy of Sciences. Need we say more?

Claim: Seven major cultures in the world never get sick and live 30 to 40 years longer than average because they consume 100 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance of everything.

Fact: This is one of the stupidest, most irresponsible things we have ever read. Anyone who attempts to consume 100 times the RDA for vitamins or minerals will get very sick quickly and likely die without immediate medical attention. Consuming 100 times the RDA for protein would provide more than 20,000 calories per day in protein alone. Don't try this at home -- or anywhere!

Claim: Our coral calcium is nearly 100 percent absorbable, compared to Tums at only 1 percent absorption.

Fact: Coral supplements and Tums both contain calcium carbonate. Typically, about 25 percent of this calcium is absorbed. RDA values allow for this partial absorption. Also, in our opinion, harvesting coral from the sea is unethical due to the potential loss of already endangered coral reefs.

It seems that many fraudulent marketing gimmicks are based on the theory that if you repeat something enough, people will believe it is true. Play it safe and don't become a victim of all the media madness.