Miracle claims heavyweight fibs

By KATHERINE HOBY and NZPA

Many people would like to find a magic pill that would help them lose weight - and some products promise to do just that.

Last week, the Commerce Commission and the Health Ministry issued a warning to consumers about Celluslim weight loss capsules and advised that the Swiss research centre that was supposed to have developed the pills does not exist.

And other "miracle" products have recently been found to have been backed by fictitious testimonials and unrealistic claims.

The Commerce Commission, the Health Ministry and the Consumers' Institute have warned consumers about Celluslim.

Advertising material claims Celluslim has been "scientifically proven to melt away fat and cellulite in just three weeks - without diet or exercise".

The capsules were supposedly developed by a doctor at a research centre in the Swiss Alps. A letter with the advertising material is signed by a Professor Eduardo Malissi, president, Saint Alto Research Centre.

"The commission has received confirmation from Swiss authorities that the centre does not exist," said the Commerce Commission's director of fair trading, Deborah Battell.

"Authorities have also said that no such person is known to them as Professor Malissi."

There are two distributors promoting the product in New Zealand, one based in Takapuna, Auckland, and the other in Singapore.

The commission investigated the Takapuna distributor and found about 1700 New Zealanders had bought the product - which was apparently made here.

An eight-week supply of Celluslim capsules (which it claims will make you lose 21-27kg of fat and cellulite) costs up to $168.80.

The commission said that in feedback from more than 150 buyers of Celluslim, most had said the product did not work, and some had said they felt unwell after taking it.

The Health Ministry's Medsafe unit has warned that Celluslim's advertising did not comply with the Medicines Act and breached the Advertising Standards Authority code for weight loss products.

New Zealand Nutrition Foundation chief executive Bronwen Hannay said the distributors of products like Celluslim were "selling disappointment".

Ms Hannay said any seemingly miracle way to lose weight - from crash diets to fat-melting capsules - were not only misleading and dishonest in claims, but also put people's health at risk.

"The thing is there is no quick fix. It just doesn't work that way," she said.

The Consumers' Institute says Celluslim claims such as "you will always remain thin and cellulite-free because you can never eat more fat than you burn up" while taking the capsules are never backed up by clinical trial results.

One Australian customer, suspicious of the claims, did her own investigating.

She found photographs of the man promoting Celluslim, "Dr Pierre Valmont", on an unrelated website where he was called "Mr Stokes".

Further searches have found the same photograph used on four other websites.

The suppliers have promised to stop advertising in New Zealand, and to clear any further advertisements with regulatory agencies.

MIRACLE PRODUCTS OR SNAKE OIL?

Celluslim

Celluslim is the second cellulite product that has come under Commerce Commission scrutiny in the past two years. In 2000, the commission said it was prosecuting distributor Bionax New Zealand for allegedly making misleading claims about the effectiveness of a product called Cellasene.

The Consumers' Institute says their Australian counterpart found connections between Celluslim and this product. Cellasene also claimed to be a miracle cellulite-removing pill when it was promoted several years ago. The "active ingredients" are identical.

Cellasene suffered a fall from grace when the US Federal Trading Commission sued its US distributors for making "false and unsubstantiated claims" about the product.

Slim-gel patches

Slim-gel patches claim to quickly melt fat without diet or exercise changes. The marketing is similar to Celluslim, with pseudo-scientific claims, and the same Singapore mail address as Celluslim.

The main active ingredient in the patches is guaranine, which is the active component of guarana. It is chemically similar to caffeine and has many of the same effects. But, as the Consumers' Institute points out, "miracle weight loss is not among them".

Herald feature: Health