Most commercial weight-loss providers are manipulating vulnerable people with unrealistic and 'fantastical' claims

"Consequently, we regularly see preposterous claims," the journal says, including that vitamin B injections speed up the breakdown of fat — a claim the journal says lacks "published medical evidence" — and "magical" herbal supplements promising to curb appetite, reduce cravings and accelerate metabolism.




Regulations are needed to protect consumers, the Canadian Medical Association Journal says. People have died from medically unsupervised, very low-calorie diets, and over-the-counter supplements containing ephedra.

"Neither public health agencies nor the medical community are doing enough to solve the problem of obesity," the editorial says. "Those suffering with obesity are often desperate for solutions and hence prone to exploitation. It's time we put an end to this nonsense."

Read more on: Canada.com