Appetite suppressants, fat burning supplements and even chemicals that block carbohydrates or fat from being metabolized are all on offer. The array of products is mind-boggling and can leave the consumer bewildered not to mention vulnerable.
A couple of years ago the DNA Diet hit the headlines for alleged financial exploitation of its customers. The company behind it, which operates online, sells DNA kits - the idea is that the customer takes a sample from the cheek then sends it in for analysis. The company then structures a bespoke diet, unique to that particular individual. Cost of this service ranges from a few hundred dollars to in excess of $1000, with ongoing consultation and dietary supplements raising the cost still further. Those charged with investigating the diet's claims have failed to validate it scientifically. Furthermore, the costly dietary supplements on offer from this company are largely made up of concentrated vitamins, which are possibly dangerous due to their high concentrations. Most notably, analysis of the supplements supplied showed that the same formula was delivered to the customer regardless of the nature of the DNA supplied! So in other words the solutions are not bespoke at all.
During their investigation, the investigators posed as 14 bogus customers, buying the DNA kits from a total of four different website shop fronts. They filled out comprehensive questionnaires with various different demographic details, and all questionnaires were returned together with DNA samples from both a young girl and an adult male. Given the DNA samples were the same, the advice received might also have expected to be the same but this was not the case. Not only did the advice vary wildly, it also included some blindingly obvious elements, such as informing the customers that smoking can damage the health. At the time of writing the company has still not been ordered to change its business practices; the investigation continues.
Caveat emptor! In the diet industry the potential customer needs to maintain a healthy level of skepticism, otherwise they may be taken for an (expensive) ride.
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