Exercise in a Bottle & Fat Trapper

Claims, Benefits: One claims to help your body burn calories while you're standing or sitting, even while you're sleeping, so you never have to exercise. The other supposedly blocks the absorption of fat "permanently."

Bottom Line: No product can do this. The FTC has banned the claims.

Full Article, Wellness Letter, August 2000:

Baloney in a bottle

You'll be glad to know you'll never again see the TV info-mercial for "Exercise in a Bottle" and "Fat Trapper," two pricey diet aids made by Enforma Natural Products. In April the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) finally told Enforma to stop making its false and/or unsubstantiated claims; the company agreed to refund $10 million to buyers. But the deceptive claims are still being made on the Internet, and Enforma continues to advertise the supplements with toned-down ads.

What were the claims? Exercise in a Bottle "helps your body to burn calories while you're standing or sitting . . . even while you're sleeping," so you never have to exercise. Fat Trapper is supposed to "permanently" block the absorption of fat, so you can eat "fried chicken, pizza, cheeseburgers . . . and stop worrying about the weight." No product can do this, of course.

There are countless diet aids like these. Most do nothing; many are potentially dangerous. Watch out for claims such as the following: "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" (the faster you lose weight, the more likely you'll gain it back); "Lose weight while you sleep"; "Lose weight permanently" (90% of people regain lost weight); "Scientific breakthrough . . . medical miracle"; "Guaranteed weight loss—or your money back" (good luck).

UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, August 2000