ASA flexes its muscles

14 October 2004

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is taking action against advertisers who make unacceptable claims for sports and muscle supplements, it was announced today. The advertisements, which appear in bodybuilding and health magazines, typically claim that the supplements can burn fat, aid weight loss and improve physique and muscle definition.

Examples of claims that concern the ASA are:

"Clinically Proven to Increase Fat Loss an Extraordinary 38.6 Times More Than Diet and Exercise Alone" (ad for Xenadrine RFA-1 slimming pill)

"The Bodybuilding Breakthrough that can get you Ultra-ripped in just 72 hours!" (ad for Taraxatone herbal formula)

"... reduce the amount of calories, carbohydrates and fat your body absorbs from meals" (ad for Fattack slimming pills)

Other claims that the ASA has yet to see proven are that various sports supplements can boost the immune system, increase metabolic rate, boost testosterone levels or suppress appetite.

As well as misleading and unproven claims, the ASA is also concerned about the accuracy of 'before and after' photographs and testimonials that may be used in this type of advertising. Additionally, many of the advertisements claim that weight loss can be achieved at rates that are in breach of good nutritional practice.

The Director General of the ASA, Christopher Graham has now referred two such advertisers, Maxi-Muscle and Joselson, to the Director General of Fair Trading and asked for action to be taken against them under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations (1988).

Christopher Graham said: "Many of these advertisements are making ambitious claims about the products featured, but when challenged to produce satisfactory evidence to back up these claims, the advertisers are unable to do so. We are concerned not only that consumers may be losing money in buying products where efficacy is unproven, but also that these ads can be irresponsible in their approach to weight loss and dieting."

In recent months the ASA's compliance team, which works to ensure that advertisers comply with the advertising codes, has been monitoring advertisements for sport and muscle supplements in health magazines and has worked with publishers to ensure that misleading ads are stopped before being published.

Last year the Committee of Advertising Practice issued guidelines to advertisers of sports supplements saying that advertisers must stress the importance of exercise in achieving the desired physical effect.