MUNCIE, Ind. - America's diet industry attracts large numbers of quacks and other pseudo-scientists because consumers are so gullible, says a Ball State University nutritionist.

Scam artists seek a piece of the $30 billion Americans spend annually on a multitude of diet supplements, said Katherine Beals, a registered dietician.

As a nation we are witnessing a large and rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity with an estimated 61 percent of Americans currently overweight or obese," she said. "Many people are desperate and are looking for an easy answer to their problems. Quick fixes are appealing to Americans."

Dietary supplements are products containing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, herbs and other botanicals. They are intended to supplement the diet.
Beals said her research found people targeted by diet scam operators also include the elderly and athletes.

"Older people want to feel like they did when they were young," she said. "Athletes want a competitive edge. Both are looking for a miracle in a bottle."

Promotions for both good and bad products are found daily in newspaper and magazine ads and television infomercials. The advertisements accompany products sold in stores, on the Internet, and through mail-order catalogs.

Because supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the best way to avoid fraud is to become a smart shopper, Beals said.

Signs of potential quackery include half-truths, testimonials and anecdotes, unpublished or uncited studies, buzzwords or pseudomedical jargon, secret formulas, quick results, and missing or questionable credentials.

"Every year hundreds of people are injured permanently or die at the hands of people hawking fraudulent diet products," she said. "You don't know what you are getting in a bottle. You could get sugar in a pill or it could be something toxic."

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Beals at kbeals@bsu.edu or (765) 285-5931.)