BBB National Programs Archive

ERSP Reviews Advertising For Speedwinds Nutrition

New York,NY– June 24, 2008 – The Electronic Retailing Self-Regulation Program (ERSP) has recommended that Speedwinds Nutrition, Inc., which markets Sytropin HGH, modify or discontinue certain advertising claims for the product.  The company has agreed to do  so.

ERSP, the electronic direct-response industry’s self-regulatory forum, is administered by  the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) with policy oversight by  the National Advertising Review Council (NARC). The marketer’s advertising came to ERSP’s attention pursuant to ERSP’s ongoing monitoring program.  Claims at issue in the ERSP  inquiry included:

  • •           “Sytropin provides the advantages of doctor-prescribed human growth hormone injections in an orally active spray.”
  • •           “No needles, no prescription, and the amazing medically-
  • documented results of injectable human growth hormone are available to you at a fraction of the cost”
  • •           “the top HGH product available without a prescription”
  • •           “Shop around, and you’ll discover that Sytropin is one of the most often recommended HGH supplements by  independent researchers and physicians”
  • •           “HGH’s effects have been shown in clinical studies…once you
  • experience the first hand effects of what the media has called
  • ‘the fountain of youth in a bottle’ your overall health will never be the same.”
  • •           “I’ve lost 7 pounds in the first two months using your product, and I already sleep better at nights, thanks Sytropin!”

Sytropin HGH is a non-injectable oral spray. However, as support for the claims made in its advertising, Speedwinds Nutrition relied primarily on HGH studies that were conducted on injectable forms of the hormone. Following its review of the evidence in the record,  ERSP  recommended that the marketer include prominent, clear, and conspicuous language on each page of its Website indicating that consumers should not expect the product to produce results similar to injectable forms of HGH.

ERSP  found that it would be reasonable for consumers to understand the claim “the top HGH product available without a prescription” as a superiority claim that is based on a comparison of Sytropin HGH with other competitive HGH spray products and recommended that this claim be discontinued.

ERSP  recommended that the claim “Sytropin is one of the most often recommended HGH supplements by  independent researchers and physicians” be modified and that the establishment claim at issue, “HGH’s effects have been shown in clinical studies,” be discontinued because it would be reasonable for consumers to understand the claim as meaning that Sytropin HGH will provide the same (or similar) results to the injectable forms of HGH that were studied when that has not be proven.

Speedwinds Nutrition, in its marketer’s statement, said the company has “begun incorporating suggested changes recommended by  the ESRP  to avoid the risk of any confusion from other marketing statements about the use and results of the product. The company pledges to make the changes as discussed, and consider ESRP’s comments in all future advertising.”