Slim chancers

The more sensitive you are about a perceived physical flaw – be it wrinkles, baldness, cellulite or fat – the more likely you are to fall for a too-good-to-be-true advertising claim. And when it comes to slimming products like fat burners, fat blockers, craving curbers, metabolism boosters, all of which fall outside the definition of a medicine, a lack of government regulation has given rise to some astonishing claims.

A few crusaders have managed, through the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), to rein in the get-slim-quick merchants. One of them is Dr Harris Steinman, a Cape Town doctor and Department of Health advisor who has filed a series of complaints in his personal capacity against slimming adverts in recent years, and most of them were upheld on the grounds of lack of substantiation.

Several times, Glomail, manufacturer of the BioSlim range, has been forced to amend its "eat what you like and still lose weight!" adverts to make it clearer that the product is only effective when used in conjunction with a "kilojoule-controlled, balanced diet".

Glomail is by no means alone. The ASA also ruled this year that the packaging of PERC Fat Burn and Lemon Diet products – made by Vitamin Laboratories – created the impression that they could be used for weight loss on their own, without diet or exercise, and called for their withdrawal. The body recently advised all media not to accept adverts for Home Mark's Peel Away the Pounds without approval from the Association of Communication in Advertising (ACA), after it continued to advertise its product in contravention of an earlier ASA ruling about its weight-loss claims.

Another of Dr Steinman's complaints – against Home Mark's Reduce Fat Fast – was upheld in May because of lack of substantiation of its weight-loss claims, including "Our natural formula... will help you lose Fat-Fast by controlling your appetite and stimulating your metabolism". Ditto his complaint against an infomercial for Verimark's O2 Leanproduct. Again, the ASA found that the weight-loss claims did not stand up to scientific scrutiny.

But of all these product marketers, Glomail holds the record for the most ASA complaints. In March this year, the ASA imposed sanctions on Glomail's BioSlim Fat Attack adverts for disregarding an earlier ruling. Then came Glomail's ACA-approved print advertisement of mid-April, announcing that the company had "secured the necessary substantiating evidence" from an independent authority proving that BioSlim products were "effective for weight loss when used as recommended in conjunction with a kilojoule-controlled diet".

"We go to great lengths to ensure that our products are manufactured to the highest standards and deliver on their promises," says Glomail CEO Alan Ber in the ad. Three days later, the ASA was considering another Steinman complaint against Glomail, this time about its Siluet 40 cellulite treatment product, which claimed, among other things, that it breaks down body fat, enabling users to lose centimetres in just 40 minutes. The ASA ordered the withdrawal of that advert on the basis of lack of substantiation.

What "substantiating evidence" of BioSlim's efficacy did Glomail produce? "Well, there's no new evidence, really," said the ACA's Piet Delport. "We approved new adverts because they made better use of the strapline." Bottom line: There is no magic bullet.

Government takes a stand

In April this year, Deputy Health Minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge asked leading South African women's magazines to draw their readers' attention to the issues surrounding slimming products and how Government intends to regulate this industry. She expressed concern about the safety of slimming agents, and warned consumers to "look out for, and beware of, dubious and unsubstantiated weight-loss products".

She said the slimming products industry was exploiting a loophole in the Food Act that allows slimming products to be sold by the "mere inclusion of a calorie-restricted diet in the package of the product", without the need to demonstrate efficacy, quality and safety, as required by the Medicines Act.

"These products are marketed as fat trappers, fat burners or starch blockers, and are often accompanied by personal testimonials that do not accurately reflect the actual experience of users or have any basis in scientific evidence," she said.

"The Department has resolved to alert consumers to these dubious products, assist consumers with appropriate weight-loss and dietary advice, and pass legislation preventing the marketing of unsubstantiated weight-loss products."

And then she repeated the advice quick-fix seekers hate to hear: "The only effective and scientific method of weight loss is a kilojoule-restricted diet and adequate exercise."

But how does South Africa's current obesity rate compare with that of 40 years ago? No one knows for sure, says Professor Tessa van der Merwe, chairperson of the South African Society for the Study of Obesity, because there were no studies done on obesity in this country until the mid-'90s. "What we do know," she says, "is that in the urban areas, obesity rates have doubled in the past nine years." And the reason is not urbanisation, but industrialisation.

"There are very few places in the world where you can't buy Coke and chocolate." The solution does not lie in the big promises of small, expensive slimming pills, Prof Van der Merwe says. "All the media should take responsibility for this... and refuse to give support to such unethical management of obesity."

A selection of advertising messages that have contributed to the widely held view that only thin is beautiful:

1965
"I am slim again after I lost 20lbs with Slankolette." – slimming tablets

1969
"Still dieting the hard way? And losing hope? Indulge, and lose weight instead... with Choc-o-Slim!" – a chocolate bar with a bulk ingredient that tricks your stomach into thinking it's full.

1975
"Are you ready for the The String [bikini]? To look good in the The String you can't afford even a hint of fat." – Redupon appetite suppressant

1982
"With safe, natural-based Fat-Off, the only side-effects are wolf whistles... It's by far the best way to become a shadow of your former self." – Fat-Off appetite controlling milkshake

1985
"Everybody loves a loser! My Sue was always a bit on the cuddly side. Then she lost weight the sensible way with Carnation Diet Plan. Now she's not cuddly – she's lovable!" – The Carnation Diet Plan

1991
"Why Shape is the last diet you'll ever try." – Shape two-meal-per-day replacement

1994
"The fun only begins when you are slim." – Hawkins Home Slimming System

2003
"Decrease your desire. Increase your desirability." – Eetless tablets