January 24, 2003
The Federal Trade Commission has charged Slim Down Solution, LLC, Maderia Management, Inc., and several related companies with using false and unsubstantiated claims in the marketing and advertising of "Slim Down Solution" - a purported weight-loss product.
The company's advertising claimed that the product's key ingredient, D-glucosamine, absorbs up to 20 grams of dietary fat and causes significant weight loss without diet or exercise. According to the FTC complaint, these claims are false.
In their advertisements, the SDS defendants used such statements as:
- "The Slim Down Solution is an incredible tiny tablet that contains D-Glucosamine, a powerful, all-natural, fat magnet and trapper . . . . One tablet can help eliminate as much as 20 grams of Fat!"
- "Lose 10 Pounds And 2 Inches In 30 Days Or Your Money Back!"
- "[T]here are many diet programs and systems out there. . . . But the one thing they all have in common is that you have to change your lifestyle and your eating habits for them to be successful. . . . The Slim Down Solution doesn't require you to change anything. That's the beauty of it. It's effortless."
The complaint alleges that the SDS defendants violated the FTC Act by falsely representing that Slim Down Solution:
The complaint alleges that the Maderia defendants provided the means and instrumentalities for the SDS defendants to make their deceptive claims. It also alleges that the Maderia defendants falsely represented that their D-glucosamine products isolate up to 16-20 grams of dietary fat per dose, then bind it to be carried out of the body as waste; falsely represented that independent studies prove that its D-glucosamine products absorb dietary fat, thereby causing weight loss in humans; and represented without adequate substantiation that their D-glucosamine products cause weight loss.
Consumer Tips
The FTC has the following tips for consumers who are interested in weight-loss products or programs:
- Products and programs that promise quick and easy weight loss are bogus. To lose weight, you have to lower your intake of calories and increase your physical activity.
- The faster you lose weight, the more likely you are to gain it back. Experts recommend a goal of about a pound a week.
- There are no miracle weight-loss products. Be skeptical of products and programs that claim they can keep weight off permanently. Be skeptical about exaggerated claims.
