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Februari 2001

BusinessWeek: Hype Addiction: It's One Tough Habit to Kick: 19 februari

"When Internet execs upbraid journalists for reporting bad news, they're proving that the industry still prefers rosy fantasies to unpleasant truths.

Excite: A new approach: Slower weight-lifting is better: 13 februari

"Imagine toned muscles, greater strength, increased flexibility and improved stamina. Rather than aerobic exercise, imagine lifting weights twice a week. This is Ken Hutchins' promise for good health.

Hutchins, founder of the SuperSlow protocol, supports muscular development at a "super slow" pace for higher metabolism and weight loss."

The Weekender: What's all the fizz about?: 15 februari

"Despite medical skepticism about the effects of Red Bull on the body, the beverage is an emerging leader in the extreme sports sector.

From snowboarders to cliff divers, Red Bull is looking to charge athletes with an instant liquid adrenaline rush at events that the company not only sponsors, but also has developed."

The Sceptic's Dictionary: DHEA:

"DHEA production peaks in early adulthood and is the only hormone known to decline in production with age. Thus, many diseases which correlate with age also correlate with low levels of DHEA production.

There has been no scientific evidence, however, that low levels of DHEA is a significant causal factor in the development of diseases associated with aging. Nor is there any evidence that increasing DHEA slows down, stops or reverses the aging process."

No Free Lunch:

"We are health care providers - physicians, pharmacists, nurses, dentists, among others - who believe that pharmaceutical promotion should not guide clinical practice, and that over-zealous promotional practices can lead to bad patient care.

It is our goal to encourage health care practitioners to provide high quality care based on unbiased evidence rather than on biased pharmaceutical promotion."

Metro Times: Masters of illusion:

"You used to see this technique in its most obvious and crude form in the television commercials that featured actors in physicians’ lab coats announcing that “nine out of 10 doctors prefer” their brand of aspirin.

But advertisements are obvious propaganda, and the third-party technique in its more subtle forms is designed to prevent audiences from even realizing what they are experiencing."

Kiplinger.com: Power Bars Offer More Hype Than Nutrition: Mars

"Flunk These Bars: Their popularity is soaring, but are performance snacks in sync with good nutrition?

Men's Fitness: Can You Survive a Fad Diet?: Januari

"Everywhere you turn, there's a hot new diet that promises miracles. Are any of them right for you?

DN: Debatt: "Reklam för läkemedel en hälsofara": 18 februari

"Förbjud i lag reklam för receptbelagda läkemedel riktad direkt till allmänheten, kräver åtta läkare och forskare. En ny undersökning visar att reklam till allmänheten kan svara för 10-25 procent av kostnadsökningen för receptbelagda mediciner."

Verdens Gang: Slank med et klikk: 10 januari 2000

"Det tar ikke mer enn et museklikk å gå ned i vekt når slankebransjen på Internett avmagrer deg. Men Norges slankeekspert Grete Roede er skeptisk."

HealthCentral.com: Four more companies plead guilty in vitamin price-fixing plot: 5 maj 2000

"Two U.S. and two German drug companies pleaded guilty and will pay $33 million in fines for participating in a conspiracy to fix the price of vitamins sold worldwide, the Justice Department said."

ACE: Some Might Call it Sabotage:

"Even as they tout the benefits of the latest workout trend, or offer rapid weight-loss plans, women’s magazines frequently publish ads for fats, oils, sweets and beverages."

Newswise: Language Can Fuel, or Abate, Public Fears About Bioengineered Foods: 13 februari

"Frankenfoods or miracle crops to help feed a hungry world? Your feelings about genetically modified foods depend, in good measure, on how their benefits and potential risks are explained to you, says Dr. Steven B. Katz of NC State University."

ABC News: Gone Today, Hair Tomorrow: 14 februari

"Even with all the ribbing by comedians and ex-wives, the majority of the 40 million bald men in the United States eventually accept their shiny pates."

HealthGate: Cortisone injection: will it help or hurt you?: 25 januari 2000

"To injured athletes this drug can be mistaken for a miracle cure for their pain. It is true that cortisone injections are effective at reducing pain, but cortisone does not assist in the healing process. In fact, it has been shown to slow the healing process."

Aftonbladet: Dr Bluff var konsult i polisens gym: 6 februari

"Polisen i Halmstad har bytt gym. Det gamla visade sig vara tillhåll för både en ökänd storbedragare och en misstänkt skattebrottsling."

CSICOP On-line: Why Bad Beliefs Don't Die:

"Because beliefs are designed to enhance our ability to survive, they are biologically designed to be strongly resistant to change. To change beliefs, skeptics must address the brain's "survival" issues of meanings and implications in addition to discussing their data."

Expressen: Expressen granskar: Odugliga bantningsmedel: 3 februari

"Svenska folket blir allt fetare. Skönhetsidealet blir allt smalare. Den omöjliga ekvationen har blivit skojarföretagens smala lycka. De tjänar miljoner på överviktiga människors desperation."

Expressen: Expressen granskar: Bluffen med naturprodukter: 3 februari

"Svenska folket köper naturprodukter för drygt 2,5 miljarder kronor per år. Försäljningen av bantningspiller, potensmedel, hårpreparat och andra medel bara ökar. Expressens Jennifer granskar miljardkarusellen kring bluffmedlen."

Consider.net: How Michael Jordan disproved a Marxist theory: 29 januari

"One of my favourite statistics of the past few years was the one that revealed the basketball ace Michael Jordan was paid more money for endorsing Nike shoes than the company's 30,000-strong workforce of cobblers in far-off Indonesia."

Nutrition News Focus: Fiber Eats Fat:

"Chitosan can adsorb up to six times its weight in fat. Many supplement companies are selling pills and powders of this as a weight loss product. While it does prevent absorption of some fat into the body, this is not the most sensible way to lose weight."

Nutrition News Focus: Diet Pills Too Good - Part 2:

"Although there are quite a few studies in animals and a couple in people, the claims for this substance are really over the top. Chitosan is the basis for products that have names that sound like they prevent all your dietary fat from getting used."

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Newsstand: A dose of fiscal and physical fitness: 30 januari

"Newsweek looks at the benefits of the new Super Slow workout - weight training at a snail's pace 20 minutes a week. Super Slow founder Ken Hutchins not only claims this is the only exercise you need but warns that aerobics may be counterproductive. Most experts don't agree."

MSNBC: Going Super Slow: 5 februari

"For 10 years Dr. Philip Alexander ran 60 miles a week—and on days when he didn’t run he would put in time on his bike. Then, five years ago, he really got serious about physical fitness. The 56-year-old internist now spends just 20 minutes a week exercising, and he rarely soaks his shirt."

The Washington Post: Meridia: No Magic Pill: 30 januari

"The prime-time TV commercials feature attractive overweight women who virtuously brag about their newfound control over eating. Their secret? The diet drug Meridia. But if you're thinking of following their lead, here's an important caveat: Don't expect to trim much weight with Meridia unless you're also willing to sweat through regular workouts and cut back on calories."

Yahoo! Sverige: Nandrolon vanligt i bantningsmedel: 30 januari

Food supplements bör översättas med kosttillskott, inte bantningsmedel... Och att citera fransmännens "undersökning" om att 'kreatin kan vara cancerframkallande' ger inte heller det några pluspoäng.

Januari 2001

DN: Gym Form Plus - Elchock utan mätbar verkan: 29 januari

"Elchocker i tv-soffan är en av de senaste "genvägarna" till slankare kropp. För 1 000 kronor skulle en magisk låda få bukt med mina bilringar - trodde jag."

DN: Bra vibrationer?: 29 januari

"Iso-Matebältet har ett plastspänne som vibrerar och surrar om man inte drar in magen. "Få plattare mage" lyder rubriken. "Utan diet. Utan motion". Dessutom kan man säga "adjö till de där extra kilona"."

SportsJones: Former NFL lineman Pat Toomay wrestles with three demons - Lombardi, Landry, and his dad:

Strange, I come to think about Richard Sandrak when reading the below passage. I wonder why... NOT!

"I was around 9 or 10, I guess, when my dad started the exercise sessions, in conjunction with our first sojourns into organized sports. Weights. Calisthenics. Regularly, whether my brother and I wanted to or not. The rationale was always present - "My dad never worked with me. Someday you'll thank me for this."

Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose: The Amazing Paranormal Weightlifting Claims of Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose:

"Spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy claims that in 1987, he lifted with one arm, in an overhead lift, an incredible weight of 7063.75 pounds (the official world record for a two-armed overhead lift is about 600 pounds).

This page provides a summary of the material that is on internet about his lifts, and it examines the views of Sri Chinmoy's supporters and those who are skeptical of the lifts."

Healthsurfing: Drink lots of water in any form, dieticians urge: 1 augusti

"There’s yet another new way to get the recommended eight glasses of water a day. “Designer” waters, also marketed as fitness waters, contain fruity flavors, vitamins, and minerals. But this latest wave of water products - some advertised with inspiring sports performances - may not deliver as much health-in-a-bottle nutrition the manufacturers would like you to think."

Healthsurfing: Latest quick fixes are based on water loss, not fat loss: 3 november

"3-day diet ads promise a loss in weight of up to 10 pounds but don’t divulge that the loss is in water, not fat."

Scitec Nutrition Online: MyoMax Study - Gain 15 pounds in six weeks!:

The average results of the six-week long study indicate that you can:

• gain 15 pounds of mass, in relative terms 10%
• gain 10% on your arms
• double your performance in the gym

BBC News: Sports drink claims 'unjustified': 17 januari 

"Adverts promoting a leading sports drink made unjustified claims about the product's effectiveness, according to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA)."

Upsala Nya Tidning: Dyra vitaminråd till trötta: 23 mars 2000

"Årligen äter vi vitaminer och naturläkemedel för stora summor. Detta trots att vi inte lider av vitaminbrist. För att orka mer borde vi i stället för att köpa naturläkemedel äta bättre, motionera mera och ta det lite lugnare."

LE Magazine: Counterfeit Supplements: September 1999

"So the question begs, What can the consumer do to protect against fraud? The answer is, not much. Anyone who has access to the Web can check out Medline to help verify the accuracy of a health claim a company is making. This becomes difficult when deceitful companies come up with fancy trade names for their products that do not reveal what the supposed "breakthrough" ingredient really is."

Sydsvenskan: Svårt stoppa olaglig reklam på Internet: 14 januari

"Svensk lag tandlös när mirakelkurer saluförs på hemsidor som ligger på servrar i andra länder. Internationellt samarbete motvapnet."

Aftonbladet: ”Det är smaklöst”: 10 januari

"Lars Berggren, 45, försöker sälja bantningspulvret Herbalife till sjuka människor. Han raggar anorektiker och överviktiga via internet, hävdar Överviktigas Riksförbund."

JunkScience: American Heart Association Paradox: 26 januari

"The American Heart Association urged this week that “health care professionals downplay the popular but unproven supposition that drinking red wine can help ward off heart attacks.”

But “unproven suppositions” don’t stop the AHA from helping to promote other foods and beverages as “heart healthy.” Some “unproven suppositions,” as it turns out, are more lucrative and politically correct than others..."

DN: Lita inte blint på vågen: 29 januari

"En personvåg är snarare en viktindikator än våg. Den slutsatsen drar DN Konsument efter ett test av sju mekaniska och sju digitala personvågar. Alla utom en visade fel vid något vägningsprov. Och vågen i badrummet är en risk - inte någon har garanti för fuktskador."

Sydsvenskan: Läkemedelsindustrin slarvar med reklam: 17 januari

"Läkemedelsföretagen har flyttat fram sina positioner och testar medvetet gränserna, menar företrädare för Läkemedelsverket."

Aftonbladet: Vem tycker du är för tjock?: 25 januari

Till Viktväktarna är du välkommen – även om du är smal. Och för att fler ska lyckas, har företaget sänkt kraven på bantarna och ger dem mer uppmuntran på vägen. – Vi vill att vår verksamhet ska öka, säger vd Helen Lindgren.

BBC News: Massage 'pointless' for athletes: 29 mars 2000

"Massage, which is thought to help athletes speed up muscle recovery after sporting performance, is actually of little physical benefit, say researchers."

BBC News: Energy drink claims rejected: 24 januari

"The Advertising Standards Authority has upheld complaints about the claims made for the "energy" drink Red Bull."

HealthCentral: Red Bull - Brits Say That's A Good Name For Its Health Claims, Too: 24 januari

"One day, my son handed me his can of Red Bull, a drink that's very popular among teenagers, telling me it really gives him energy. Well, one look at the label told me his peppiness was no mystery. Red Bull has caffeine, amino acids and sugar. This is a can of cold coffee."

Washington Post: Attention, Health Food Fanatics: Get a Life: 16 januari

"Hey, wheat-germ breath: Feeling sanctimonious, are you, with your diet of tofu, veggies and brown rice?

Well that smug attitude just might be a symptom of the disease orthorexia nervosa - a wry coinage meaning an unhealthful "fixation on eating healthy food" that Steven Bratman says could be as bad for you as bingeing on Lays and Yoo Hoo."

Aftonbladet: Dyra drycker ger lite ork: 20 januari

"Får man vingar av Red Bull som reklamen säger? De nya energidryckerna gör sitt segertåg över Sverige. Men håller de vad de lovar? Hälsa har granskat hur de påverkar kroppen i verkligheten."

Salon: Physicians' Desk Reference, 55th edition: 19 januari

"Why doesn't anyone know that Elvis' favorite book, the Physicians' Desk Reference, is written by drug companies?"

The Australian: Homer makes kids fat: nutritionists: 9 januari

"The poor eating habits of television characters in popular shows such as The Simpsons, Friends and ER are encouraging children to become fat, according to nutritionists.

A study of 63 episodes of the Simpsons found only 20 per cent of health-related messages were "positive" or recommended by health professionals."

Upsala Nya Tidning: Utsidan blir alltmer avgörande: 29 december 1999

"Framtiden kommer att bli ännu mer utseende- och kroppsfixerad. Det vi sett hittills av ungdomsdyrkan och skönhetsfixering är rena viskningen mot vad som väntar under 2000-talet."

Dagens Media: Skridskotävling på vingar i Stockholm: 19 januari

"Red Bull Sweden arrangerar lördagen den 20 januari en höghastighetstävling på skridsko i centrala Stockholm. Det är en fortsättning på företaget strategi att förknippas med extremsporter."

BBC News: Hair health test 'worthless': 2 januari

"Experts have dismissed health tests on hair widely used in the US as "unreliable" and "worthless"."

dietfraud.com - Your Diet and Weight Loss Fraud Headquarters

NetDoktor.dk: Reklamer: 8 januari

"To tredjedele af de fødevarereklamer, der vises på TV2, er for usunde produkter. Det viser en undersøgelse Forbrugerinformationen har lavet over de viste reklamer på TV2 fra marts 2000 til september 2000. Det er især morgenmadsprodukter med højt sukker og fedtindhold, der kan vildlede forbrugerne, da de reklamerer med at give energi og overskud."

Ananova: TV shows bad for health, says Irish politician: 7 januari

"An Irish politician is calling on parents to exercise more control over their children's TV habits - to stop the youngsters becoming overweight.

Mr Brady says: "A study of The Simpsons found that 50% of references to food involved fats, sweets and alcohol.

"The Simpson clan was also criticised for mindless snacking, high alcohol consumption, the use of food as a bribe or reward and equating weight loss with starvation." (Via GymTrack News)

Fox Sports: Athletes pitch drug products in interviews: 2 januari

"Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly turning to a tactic that gets them news coverage of new drugs — paying celebrities to tell reporters about their struggles with illness." (Via SurfJones)

MSNBC: Fitness club faces cancellation suit: 3 januari

"Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan offered a reminder to consumers Wednesday while filing suit against a downtown fitness club for allegedly failing to give consumers notice of their three-day right to cancel membership contracts."

The Washington Post: The Bald Truth About Hair Loss: 2 januari

"Watch out for vitamin formulas, lotions and potions: Experts say treating baldness take lots of patience and money - and there's still no panacea."

Times Of India: Engineer uses sun to claim victory over hunger: 30 december

"Can the human body turn into a photovoltaic cell and covert the rays of the sun into energy? Sixty-four-year-old retired mechanical engineer Hira Ratan Manek claims it can. For the past 364 days, he claims he has not swallowed a single morsel of solid, living only on some boiled water and the star closest from the earth." (Via Fark)

New York Daily News: Be Skeptical of Fad Diets Pushed in Ads & Mailings: 1 januari

"Although it may seem tempting to try a fad diet — or order some instant weight loss product you see advertised — the best result you can expect if you do is temporary weight loss.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. But the bottom line is that dieting takes effort, and any plan that promotes easy or effortless long-term weight loss is an illusion."

Featured Article - Top 10 Fad Diets:

"People are losing weight eating bacon and eggs-others by eating only grapefruit or cabbage. Some claim to lose weight in their sleep or by breathing differently. Are these diets safe and based on scientific research?"

New York Post: Gym not so dandy for your fiscal fitness: 2 januari

"Brian Rush works out at a Bally gym in Brooklyn, where he claims a misleading sales pitch tricked him into an ironclad contract with fees totaling $1,670." (Via Lots of Co.)

Netrition: Study knocks hair analysis: 2 januari

"Hair analysis is generally an unreliable method of diagnosing nutritional deficits and exposure to environmental toxins, according to a study of six commercial laboratories in the United States."

BBC News: Hair health test 'worthless': 2 januari

New York Times: Many Americans Fed Up With Diet Advice: 1 januari

This seems to have been a good and timely release of the study - many papers and news sources hooked into it.

"As many Americans make New Year's resolutions focusing on weight loss and healthier eating habits, a new study released today highlights a growing tendency to disregard expert dietary advice." (Fri registration krävs för att komma åt New York Times artiklar.)

New Jersey Online: Study: Many claim they've had their fill of conflicting diet advice: 2 januari

MSNBC: Dietary messages backfire: 2 januari

The Nando Times: Conflicting diet advice making Americans skeptical, study finds: 2 januari

food ingredients online: Conflicting dietary messages cause nutrition backlash among consumers: 2 januari

Healthsurfing: Junk food "true you" study draws criticism: 25 augusti

"A study of food and personality suggests that you really may be what you choose to eat from snack food store shelves. Food researchers launched a study of personality types and favorite junk foods and came up with some connections that may be more correct than crazy."

National Post Online: Firm claims device lets you lose weight by watching TV: 30 december

"A Miami-based company is marketing a product that is a couch potato's dream: a little white box, Motovision, that plugs into a television and helps people lose weight while doing nothing more strenuous than watching TV.

Experts are skeptical." (Via MetaMuscle)