Showing posts with label Nutrition Frauds. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nutrition Frauds. Show all posts

Monday, June 23, 2014

Dietary Fads And Frauds

Dietary Fads And Frauds
The folklore and superstition of cultures throughout history have
attributed healing or harmful properties to certain foods. This
tendency has not disappeared with the advent of the sciences of
nutrition and medicine. Food folklore continues today, although in many
instances it is inconsistent with scientific evidence.



Nutrition fraud is a comprehensive term used by the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) to describe the abuses that occur as a result of
the misleading claims for traditional foods, dietary supplements, and
dietary products and of the deceptive promotion of other food
substances, processes, and devices.



Food faddism is a dietary practice based upon an exaggerated belief in the effects of food or nutrition on health and disease.



Food fads derive from three beliefs:





  • That special attributes of a particular food may cure disease.


  • That certain foods should be eliminated from the diet because they are harmful.


  • That certain foods convey special health benefits.




  • Food faddists are those who follow a particular nutritional practice
    with zeal and whose claims for its benefits are substantially more than
    science has substantiated.



    Until Einstein's equation, E=mc?, which may also be written
    Calories=mc? is invalidated the only way to reduce weight (m) is to
    reduce the amount of calories consumed (E). In other words, to lose
    weight it is necessary to eat less calories each day than you burn up,
    and the only way to gain weight is to eat each day more calories than
    you use. [Herbert, J., (Chief Hematology & Nutr. Lab. Bronx VA Medical Center) : Nutrition Cultism - Facts & Fictions. 1981.]



    Food quackery, which involves the exploitive, entrepreneurial
    aspects of food faddism, is the promotion for profit of special foods,
    products, processes, or appliances with false or misleading health or
    therapeutic claims. A food quack is one who pretends to have medical or
    nutritional knowledge and who promotes special foods, products, or
    appliances with false or misleading claims, usually for personal
    financial gain.



    Nutrition fraud flourishes today because of the diversity of
    cultures, the historical tradition of concern for health and the use of
    natural remedies, and the introduction of advanced communication
    technologies.



    Food faddism has its roots in Great Britain, where patent medicines
    were advertised and sold by everyone from hawkers to goldsmiths. In the
    colonies, legal protection of consumers against fraudulent claims was
    first recorded in Massachusetts Bayin 1630. Nicholas Knopp, was whipped
    and fined five pounds for selling a cure for scurvy that had "no worth
    nor value" and was "solde att a very deare rate". [Young, J.H. The toadstool millionaires: a social history of patent medicines in America before federal regulation. 1961.]



    One of the earliest nutrition faddists was Sylvester Graham, a "back
    to nature" reformer who was suspicious of any food altered from its
    "natural" condition, such as white flour. His legacy continues among
    those who question whether processed food of any type can provide
    adequate nutrition.



    Although, it must be noted that processed foods should not
    necessarily be eliminated from a persons diet because of this belief,
    it is true that without fortification the more a food is processed and
    thus differs from its natural form the less nutrient dense it will be.



    Some groups such as fruitarians actually go a step further, they
    don't eat processed or cooked foods. The reason being that when a food
    is cooked it is not able to be digested and becomes toxic. There is no
    scientific evidence to back this argument to its fullest extent.



    Popular interest in nutrition, coupled with concern about food
    shortages during World War I, was fostered by the increasing promotion
    of the health properties of foods in the early 20th century. Vitamins,
    by the very nature of their discovery, became associated with the
    prevention or cure of disease and were soon promoted as curative agents.



    Today the travelling patent medical man has been largely replaced by
    the highly skilled and organized use of electronic means to promote
    fraudulent marketing - computers, customized mailing lists, national
    advertisements, and other mass media. The medium and the details have
    changed, but the message and the goals remain. It is difficult for
    consumers to evaluate the validity of the health claims perpetrated by
    quacks and faddists.



    Purveyors of nutrition fraud capitalize on people's desire to be
    healthy and on the lack of certainty in many areas of nutrition and
    health. No writer for a lay audience has any special insights into
    nutrition which are not known by a substantial part of the scientific
    community. Magic and sensational diets are nothing more than
    exaggerations of one facet of nutrition at the expense of another,
    often to the detriment of the willing victims.



    Regulation of Nutrition Fraud



    The first Federal legislation, the Pure Food and Drug act of 1906,
    made it unlawful to manufacture or introduce into interstate commerce
    adulterated or misbranded food or drug products.



    Currently, numerous Government, medical and consumer-oriented
    organizations are responsible for preventing and controlling fraud.
    These agencies work cooperatively, and their antifraud activities have
    become more visible in recent years.



    Private agencies and organizations such as the American Dietetic
    Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Medical
    Association, the National Council Against Health Fraud, and other
    health professional groups are also active against food fraud.



    The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act empowers the FDA to prohibit
    the introduction of any food, drug, device or cosmetic that is
    adulterated or misbranded. Only factual and nonmisleading information
    is allowed on food labels. Most false promotional claims, therefore,
    are not made on labels. Instead, they appear in books, lectures, and
    mass media that are protected by constitutional rights. The FDA has the
    authority to use its food additive and drug approval processes to
    control food products allowed on the market and to remove fraudulent
    products.



    Most fraudulent food products are classified as foods, but when
    therapeutic claims are made for them, they are also considered to be
    drugs. If a food product is also classified as a drug and is considered
    by the FDA to be ineffective for its claimed use, it will not have an
    approved New Drug Application. For example, if it is promoted for
    treating a disease that is not amenable to lay diagnosis, it cannot
    have adequate directions for use and will not be approved.



    Health Consequences of Fraud



    Nutrition fraud may lead to deleterious health consequences, caused
    by the failure to seek legitimate medical care, by potentially toxic
    components of foods and products, by nutrient toxicities and
    deficiencies, by diversion of monies from essential treatments, and by
    interference with sound nutrition education.



    Public health and safety can be jeopardized by false promises that
    divert or deter individuals from pursuing sound forms of medical
    treatment or that encourage them to abandon beneficial therapy for a
    disease. Fraud may encourage people to reject legitimate medical advice
    and to practice inappropriate self-medication that is less likely to be
    helpful, and more likely to be directly harmful, than the medical
    technology based on a sound understanding of human biology and
    nutrition.



    The FDAs annual reports document numerous instances of fraud-induced
    failure to obtain appropriate health care. Because early detection and
    treatment improve prognosis for many illnesses, unproven "nutritional"
    therapies may unnecessarily delay beneficial intervention. Some diet
    regimens recommended by health faddists to treat cancer, for example,
    are so nutritionally deficient or toxic that adherence to them has
    caused death or serious illness.



    Public injury can occur when foods and unproven remedies are toxic.
    Just because a substance occurs naturally in food does not mean that it
    is necessarily safe. Many of the chemicals known to be present in herbs
    have never been tested for safety. Some plant foods contain potentially
    unsafe pharmacologically active ingredients such as aflatoxin, one of
    the most potent carcinogens known.



    There has been a substantial increase in the use of herbal products
    that contain pharmacologically active ingredients that can possibly
    produce undesirable effects such as an increase in blood pressure.
    Occasional poisonings and clinical intoxications are reported after the
    use of herbal tea products. Ginseng, one of the most popular herbs, has
    been reported to produce oestro-like effects in some people. From
    present evidence, it cannot be concluded that all herbal products can
    be consumed safely over extended periods of time. [Larkin, T. Herbs are often more toxic than magical. FDA Consumer: 4-11, October, 1983.]



    Potentially harmful ingredients have been identified in samples of
    other food supplements, such as an oestroic hormone in commercial
    alfalfa tablets, arsenic in kelp tablets, and cadmium in dolomite have
    caused the FDA to caution against use of these products, particularly
    by pregnant women and children.



    Frauds and fads may induce nutrient toxicities or deficiencies. Many
    people take vitamins as self-medication for the prevention or treatment
    of health problems. The use of these products varies with such
    demographic factors as geographic region, education, income, and race.
    Women are more frequent consumers than men. Intakes range widely,
    extending up to 50 times the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for
    individual nutrients.



    Nutrient supplements are usually safe in amounts corresponding to the RDA,
    but the RDA's are already set to provide maximum benefit consistent
    with safety. Thus, there is no reason to think that larger doses will
    improve health in already healthy people, and excess intake can be
    harmful. Mega-dose intakes can have seriously harmful effects. The
    toxicity of high dosages of vitamin A and D is well established.
    Because the margin is narrow between a safe and a toxic dose of most
    trace elements, excessive supplementation with these substances may be
    particularly hazardous.



    Excessively restrictive dietary practices can also induce serious
    medical problems or even death. Popular weight reduction products often
    provide very low calorie intakes. Because such products have been
    associated with the deaths of some young women, the FDA now requires
    warnings on labels to alert consumers of such products.



    Many popular diets are potentially harmful because they eliminate
    food groups or severely limit food variety. Examples include those that
    drastically reduce carbohydrate intake, or advocate excessive fruit
    consumption, and those that claim that a person cannot digest protein
    and carbohydrates at the same time. This is not true, as can be seen in
    the Chapter - The Digestive System,
    different parts of the digestive tract deal with different nutrients
    and will absorb those nutrients, besides most foods usually contain
    both protein and carbohydrates (eg. legumes which are often 50% protein
    and 50% carbohydrate).



    Fad diets seldom produce long-lasting weight control. Highly
    restricted diets, such as the more extreme forms of Zen macrobiotics,
    have led to nutritional deficiencies, starvation, and even death in a
    few individuals. [Council on Foods and Nutrition, Journal American Medical Association. Zen macrobiotic diets. 218:397, 1971.]
    Such diets have also been associated with retarded fetal development
    and childhood growth or other nutritional problems in young children.



    Commercial interests have capitalized on a heightened public
    awareness of nutrition and health issues, but much of the public cannot
    evaluate the validity of available weight reduction schemes,
    supplements, and services. Self-appointed health and nutrition advisors
    have expressed distrust of proven public health measures such as
    fluoridation and pasteurization and, instead, have promoted treatment
    alternatives that are not supported by accepted medical practice. The
    public also may be misled by extravagant claims of health benefits from
    the use of certain foods or nutrient supplements.



    Economic Consequences of Fraud



    People experience economic injury when purported remedies and cures
    do not work, are untrue, or are greatly exaggerated or when purchased
    products are not needed. Fraudulent products are known to be extremely
    profitable to those who sell them. Quackery has become big business and
    costs the deluded consumers in excess of $10 billion a year!



    Most fraudulent products and services can be very costly yet are
    promoted as having nutritional or health benefits that have not been
    substantiated in scientific literature. [The Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health,1988.]



    A vast array of substances are available for a variety of different
    purposes. some of them may even appear to work owing to the power of
    the placebo effect - if you expect product X will make you feel better,
    then it probably will. But these supplements must not be dismissed as
    placebos in the sense of being inert pieces of chalk. These substances
    are what they say they are, and many of them have powerful
    pharmacological effects (though not necessarily those claimed for
    them). The dangers of hypervitaminosis is an obvious example. The
    effects of excess quantities of isolated amino acid supplements,
    minerals such asselenium and substances such as ginseng have never been
    fully explored and may be no less hazardous.



    Even if consumed at a level which is not harmful, their use is still
    undesirable. In most instances they are unnecessary; either providing
    nutrients which are surplus to requirements or supposed nutrients which
    are probably not needed at all. Furthermore, those who are most
    susceptible to health food claims are perhaps those who can least
    afford to be. [Health Foods and Fad Diets, Manual of Dietetic Practice, British Dietetic Association. Pg 229. 1989.]



    Table 2.6 Health food supplements and remedies











































    ProductReason for useComments
    VitaminsMineralsAmino AcidsKelpSpirulinaAloe veraTo correct dietary deficienciesSurplus to requirements in most cases. Considerable dangers with over-use
    Vitamins - B13, B15, B17FlavonoidsInositolSeleniumLecithinTo supply "nutrients" deficient in a normal dietNo evidence that supplements of these are necessary. B17 (laetrile) has now been banned from sale in the U.K.
    GinsengHoneyKelpPollenBee's royal-jellySpirulinaTo restore vigour, induce feelings of well-beingGinseng
    has certain pharmacologic effects although these are variable and
    unpredictable. Extremely expensive. Problems with over-use have been
    reported. May provide traces of vitamins and minerals (at a price) but
    little in the way of magic
    DNA and RNARejuvenation and retard ageingThe body makes all the DNA and RNA it needs. Dietary excess can cause hyper-uricaea
    Cider vinegarGarlicTo "cleanse" the body of toxinsIn the absence of severe liver or renal disease, the body is quite capable of doing this for itself
    EnzymesTo aid digestion or metabolismCannot possibly act in this way. Are denatured on reaching the stomach and then treated as any other protein
    SpirulinaCider vinegarHoneyLecithinAs a slimming aidClaims
    that substances can burn up fat or stimulate metabolism are nonsense;
    if true obesity would be a thing of the past. Honey and Lecithin are
    significant sources of calories
    Aloe veraGreen lipped-musselKelpAs a cure for arthritis and rheumatism.It should be noted that chronic disorders such as rheumatism and arthritis have periods of partial remission in any case.
    Herbal remediesHealingA
    skilled herbalist may well be able to relieve minor ailments via the
    pharmacologic effects of some plants. But these effects can be
    powerful, and some times toxic, indiscriminate use of these remedies by
    the uninformed can be dangerous


    The public incurs other costs because many products labelled as
    "natural" or "organic" sell for higher prices than their "regular"
    counterparts, although their special benefits are not generally
    demonstrable. "Natural" vitamins often sell at double the price of
    synthetic products even though they are chemically identical. In some
    products labelled as "natural," only a minor fraction of the vitamin is
    actually derived from natural sources.



    What is also very difficult to understand is why more natural foods,
    like whole wheat bread or unpolished rice, often cost more than their
    refined counterparts, white bread or par-boiled white rice, that have
    undergone costly processing and packaging which should make them more,
    not less expensive.