Seven Seas told not to run advert aimed at the over-55s

ONE OF the world’s largest suppliers of dietary supplements has been told not to run an advertisement which claimed its products helped the mobility of the over-55s.

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) upheld a complaint about Active 55 from Seven Seas which was the subject of a national radio campaign. The ASAI acted on foot of a complaint that Seven Seas could not substantiate the claim that Active 55 contained “everything your joints need”.

The person who complained said he could not find any evidence that it had a beneficial effect on immobilised joints.

In return, Seven Seas said two components cited in the advertisement, Glucosamine and Omega 3, were found in eight separate studies to have reduced pain for those with arthritis and so their joints moved more freely.

However, the ASAI said the eight studies dealt only with those with various forms of arthritis and could not be made applicable to the general population.

The ASAI held that Seven Seas was in breach of its code and requested that the advertisement not be shown again in its current format.

The ASAI code is a voluntary one and the organisation is self-regulating but advertisers are expected to comply with its decisions. It also held against three other companies which made claims about health-related products.

The Cheswick Clinic in Cork was requested not to run an advertisement claiming that those involved could lose a stone in four weeks.

The clinic stated that each of its patients had lost at least one stone in weight and the clinic specialised in weight loss for the morbidly obese where a loss of a stone in four weeks was acceptable. They considered that the advertisement was legal and honest.

The ASAI’s complaints committee noted that the advertisers had not submitted any evidence in support of the weight-loss claims in the advertising.

The institute found too against Dr Quantia Noonan for a food intolerance test with dietary advice which was retailing for €19.

The complaints committee found there was no robust scientific evidence to back up the claim that the test was an accurate diagnostic tool for food intolerance.

The SureSlim Wellness Clinic/Therapie clinic in Cork did not respond to a complaint that its claim to promote the “World’s No 1 weight loss programme” could not be substantiated.

The committee expressed concern that no reply had been forthcoming from the clinic and requested that the advertisement not be run again.