Cortisol Claims Stopped by FTC
Medical Authors and Editors:
Barbara K. Hecht,
Ph.D. and
Frederick Hecht, M.D.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has filed a law suit
to stop two companies from making health claims about two dietary supplements
called CortiSlim and CortiStress. CortiSlim is promoted as producing a quick
10-50 pound weight loss. CortiStress claims to prevent a whole range of medical
conditions including osteoporosis, obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease. According to the FTC, "...the defendants' infomercial claimed that
persistently elevated levels of cortisol are the underlying cause of 'every
modern lifestyle disease that is associated with this fast-paced 21st century
lifestyle.' "
The FTC is hoping to negotiate a settlement that not only results in a
permanent injunction against advertising claims but also monetary reimbursement
for consumers who have purchased the CortiSlim and CortiStress.
Comment: Cortisol is the major natural glucocorticoid. (A
glucocorticoid is a hormone that predominantly affects the metabolism of
carbohydrates and, to a lesser extent, fats and proteins in the body. The term
glucocorticoid also applies to equivalent hormones synthesized in the
laboratory.) Cortisol is the primary stress hormone.
CortiSlim and CortiStress are not the only dietary
supplements out there. There are a number of products (Corti-something-or-other)
which claim to interfere with cortisol production and control cortisol levels in
the body. The FTC has also begun sending warning letters to more than 25 Web
site operators and others who are marketing products with claims that the
products will affect
cortisol and thereby cause weight loss, reduce the risk of or prevent disease,
or produce other health benefits.
Conflict of Interest: We typed "cortisol" into the MedicineNet search
engine and noticed that there are "sponsored results" (ads) for some of these
Corti-something-or-other products. So this may be a good time to state (or
restate) the basic fundamental principle that the health information (the
"content") on MedicineNet is independent of the advertising.
Other products investigated and charged by the FTC:
Information about choosing products safely on the Internet
FTC Targets Products Claiming to Affect the Stress
Hormone Cortisol
Agency Alleges That Marketers of CortiSlim and
CortiStress Made False or Unsubstantiated Claims
The Federal Trade Commission has charged marketers of
two dietary supplements with claiming, falsely and without substantiation, that
their products can cause weight loss and reduce the risk of, or prevent, serious
health conditions. According to the FTC's complaint, Los Angeles-area marketers
Window Rock Enterprises, Inc. and
Infinity Advertising, Inc., their principals, Stephen Cheng
and Gregory Cynaumon, and business partner and product
formulator Shawn Talbott have sold "CortiSlim" and
"CortiStress" through a number of widely aired infomercials
and short TV commercials, as well as radio and print
advertisements and Internet Web sites. "The Window Rock
defendants' weight-loss and disease-prevention claims fly in
the face of reality," said Lydia B. Parnes, Acting Director
of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. "No pill can
replace a healthy program of diet and exercise."
The FTC's complaint alleges that the Window Rock
defendants violated the FTC Act by making deceptive efficacy
claims for CortiSlim and CortiStress. In addition, the
complaint alleges that the defendants violated the FTC Act
by using a deceptive format in at least two of their
infomercials to suggest falsely that the infomercials were
independent television programs, rather than paid commercial
advertising. The complaint seeks permanent injunctive
relief, including redress for consumers who purchased the
products.
CortiSlim
According to the FTC, the
defendants began marketing CortiSlim in August 2003, through nationally
disseminated infomercials featuring Cynaumon and Talbott that aired on a number
of television channels, including Access Television,
Travel Channel, and Discovery Channel. The FTC alleges that
the defendants promoted cortisol control as "the answer" for
anyone who wants to lose weight, especially abdominal
weight. According to the FTC's complaint, the defendants'
broadcast ads, print ads, and Web sites claimed that
persistently elevated levels of cortisol, the "stress
hormone," are the underlying cause of weight gain and weight
retention and also claimed that CortiSlim effectively
reduces and controls cortisol levels and thereby causes
substantial weight loss. The FTC alleges that the defendants
claimed that CortiSlim: (1) causes weight loss of 10 to 50
pounds for virtually all users; (2) causes users to lose as
much as 4 to 10 pounds per week over multiple weeks; (3)
causes users to lose weight specifically from the abdomen,
stomach, and thighs; (4) causes rapid and substantial weight
loss; (5) causes long-term or permanent weight loss; and (6)
causes weight loss. The FTC also alleges that the defendants
claimed that the effectiveness of CortiSlim and its
ingredients is demonstrated by over 15 years of scientific
research. According to the FTC's complaint, these claims are
false or unsubstantiated.
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