How false science sells well-being – 8/2/2023 – Equilibrium

You can’t walk through a supermarket or pharmacy without being subjected to flashy labels that advertise health benefits. In the beverage aisle, for example, you can find prebiotic sodas, which are supposed to support intestinal health. In the beauty department, you’ll see “medical grade” serums, probiotic face creams and skin detox treatments. Head over to the supplements section to see promises of immunity support, hormone balance, and increased energy, among other things.

Marketers have used scientific-sounding keywords to sell products for centuries. But this is becoming more common, according to Timothy Caulfield, director of research in health law and policy at the University of Alberta (Canada). Caulfield coined the term “scienceploitation” [exploração da ciência] to describe how brands borrow language from new areas of science to market unproven products.

Those terms pop up in far more places today than ever before, including in search results, on social media platforms and by the mouths of influencers, Caulfield said. Consumers are often inundated with confusing options as more companies position themselves as healthy.

Shoppers are prioritizing scientific evidence, said Sienna Piccioni, analyst and head of beauty at trend forecasting firm WSGN. But they can’t always separate fact from fiction: A 2021 study suggested that people who trust science were more likely to share false claims that contained scientific references than claims that did not.

In December, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) revised its guidelines for health-related products, emphasizing that companies should support health claims “with high-quality, randomized, controlled human clinical trials.” But experts say the commission is unlikely to be able to closely monitor how companies market their products, at least not without a huge increase in funding.

“There are too many brands,” said Kevin Klatt, an assistant researcher in the department of nutritional sciences and toxicology at the University of California at Berkeley.

So for now, we’re on our own. But you can still arm yourself. Here are some marketing tactics you should be aware of:

HUGE LISTS OF INGREDIENTS

Companies often try to cash in on fads like adaptogens and activated charcoal, which you can find listed on items like cookie wrappers and tubes of toothpaste. Even ingredients that are known for their effectiveness can be manipulated: beauty and skincare brands, for example, can use 0.2% vitamin C in a moisturizer, although evidence shows that the amount would need to be higher to have any effect. effect, said Michelle Wong, a cosmetics chemist who runs the Lab Muffin Beauty Science blog and helped popularize the term “scientific wash” in beauty circles.

That’s why it’s not necessarily helpful to sift through a scientific-looking ingredient list, she said. Most don’t say much about the quality or quantity of each ingredient, nor how it interacts with other ingredients or its stability—all of which affect effectiveness.

VAGUE TERMS LIKE ‘REINFORCEMENT’ AND ‘SUPPORT’

Manufacturers use words without clear and specific definitions such as “helps”, “promotes”, “supports”, “encourages”, “reinforces” and “optimizes” to suggest positive health outcomes. There is no quantifiable way to measure an ambiguous word like “support,” said Jonathan Jarry, a scientist and science communicator in the Department of Science and Society at McGill University.

Supplement companies, which do not need to prove efficacy to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), often rely on the terms listed above. But there’s often a little disclaimer on the bottle that says the product “is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.”

“They are implying that the product works, and on the same label, much less visible, is the fact that there is no evidence that it works,” said Josh Bloom, director of chemical and pharmaceutical science at the American Council on Science and Health. Still, he said, people see a word like “supportive” and may assume the product will treat their symptoms.

Other phrases like “clinically tested”, “research-based”, “doctor recommended” and “evidence-based” pop up in the beauty or personal care aisle — and often lack the context they would need to be verified, said Dr. Wong. When you see these terms, you might ask yourself: What were the test results? What was the quality of the research and who conducted it? Was the researcher or endorser a legitimate authority in this field?

QUESTIONABLE STUDIES

Wellness brands can fill their sites with links to studies. But some are simply summaries of emerging data without any mention of the product in question. Many companies include surveys that are unrelated to their claim. The evidence cited by one company “may be a poorly designed study,” said Nick Tiller, senior research fellow in exercise physiology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. “May be chosen at random.”

“What you want to see are the results of actual rigorous studies of the product itself showing that it works,” Jarry said. “But that almost never happens,” he added.

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO EVALUATE AFFIRMATIONS

If you’re trying to get an idea of ​​a product’s legitimacy, the Federal Trade Commission recommends doing an online search for the product’s name, in addition to the words “review,” “complaint,” or “scam.”

You can also check out what respected professional associations and leading public health organizations like the National Institutes of Health or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say about a specific product, protocol or ingredient, experts advise.

If an herbal supplement claims to treat high blood pressure, for example, you might look it up on the American Heart Association or American College of Cardiology websites, as those organizations often have articles, position statements and meta-analyses about them, said Dr. doctor Danielle Belardo, cardiologist who hosts the podcast “Wellness: Fact vs. Fiction”.

When evaluating a flashy ingredient or product, remember that “one exciting study” doesn’t mean much, Caulfield said. Kombucha containers are often said to contain “microbiome-friendly” benefits, although microbiome research is still in its infancy. So before shelling out your cash, give more credit to sources that include a larger body of evidence on a subject, he said.

And remember that no single ingredient can change your health overnight. If a product really was a cure-all, every medical organization would be rushing to endorse it, Dr. Klatt said. “Anything that sounds too good to be true is probably too good to be true,” he added.

Translated by Luiz Roberto M. Gonçalves