Industry challenges egregious disease-state related claims made by Internet purveyor of supplements
NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division on Tuesday recommended that Nature’s Answer discontinue a wide range of Internet advertising claims for “Bio-Strath,” including claims that the supplement benefits children with ADD/ADHD, pregnant women, people recovering from cancer treatments, people with dementia and people with diabetes.
Nature's Answer agreed to comply.
Though the advertiser “submitted a variety of clinical studies testing the efficacy of Bio-Strath supplements and elixir on a variety of health parameters,” NAD noted concerns with the methodology of the studies. “Clinically proven claims are a promise that there is scientific evidence that proves or ‘establishes’ the truth of an advertiser’s claims and literally speaks to the testing of the product in terms of its claimed efficacy,” NAD noted in its decision. “There is an implied promise that the clinical testing was grounded in sound scientific methodology and yielded consumer relevant results.”
Bio-Strath is a proprietary herbal blend of angelica root, lemon balm leaf, basil aerial parts, chamomile flower, cinnamon bark, caraway seed, elder flower, fennel seed, horseradish root, hyssop leaf, lavender flower, parsley aerial parts, peppermint leaf, sage leaf and thyme aerial parts. Bio-Strath contains minerals and trace elements, amino acids, vitamins and what the advertiser describes as “building substances.” Bio-Strath also contains saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as baker’s yeast, which the advertiser seems to credit for most of the rejuvenating and health properties of Bio-Strath.
NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus. As part of NAD’s initiative with the Council for Responsible Nutrition to expand NAD review of advertising claims for dietary supplements, CRN challenged certain advertising claims made by Nature’s Answer for Bio-Strath.