Comments

1. By Quackwatch
   January 16th, 2008 at 10.53am

   Amaze Rx, a meal-replacement drink that is claimed to produce weight loss of up to a pound a day, is being marketed through 30-minute infomercials and a Web site. Both feature the views of bariatric surgeon Richard Alan Carter, D.O., of Richardson, Texas and interviews and before-and-after photos of users who lost large amounts of weight. The ads are misleading, however, because the users also had lapband surgery, a procedure in which appetite is decreased by constricting the upper part of the stomach with an elastic band that limits the amount of food it can hold. Although this is mentioned near the beginning of the infomercial, most segments do not make it clear that the testimonial-givers were lapband recipients, which means that viewers who do not see the entire program may not realize this. Meal-replacement drinks can help people lose weight, but the amount involved is likely to be small and far less than promised for Amaze Rx. Proving that Amaze Rx has practical use would require a study of at least a year—and ideally several years—showing that people who had not undergone lapband surgery lost considerable weight and kept it off. No such study has been done. For a detailed report, see http://www.infomercialwatch.org/reports/amazerx.shtml

2. By doublehelix
   January 16th, 2008 at 8.43pm

   Great summary, great link!  I see these kinds of commercials all the time, so its nice to hear some clear explanation about why they’re fraudulent.

3. By scamfighter
   January 17th, 2008 at 12.57pm

   Nice post Quackwatch.  I also found this post on the diet-fraud blog. 

   Why do so many of these companies market pills, potions, etc. with deceptive claims if they know they’re gonna get caught?