NAD Recommends Clarion Brands Modify, Discontinue Certain Claims for Dietary Supplement ‘Lipo-Flavonoid Plus,’ Company to Appeal

New York, NY – Sept. 16, 2015 – The National Advertising Division has recommended that Clarion Brands LLC modify or discontinue certain claims for the company’s Lipo-Flavonoid Plus dietary supplement, including claims made through testimonials, that state or imply that the product substantially reduces or eliminates tinnitus and the symptoms of Ménière’s Disease, a disorder of the inner ear. The company has said it will appeal those adverse findings to the National Advertising Review Board.

NAD further determined that the claim “Lipo-Flavonoid Plus has been used and evaluated in clinical settings for over 50 years” and similar claims were supported.

NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation and administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

In response to NAD’s initial inquiry, the advertiser said that Lipo-Flavonoid is a lemon bioflavonoid dietary supplement that contains the ingredient eriodictyol glycoside.  The advertiser asserted that Lipo-Flavonoid has been used by ear, nose and throat physicians as part of a multiple treatment approach to help ease the symptoms of Ménière’s disease and tinnitus.

In support of the challenged performance claims and testimonial, the advertiser referred to numerous studies (some of them on Lipo-Flavonoid) and articles spanning more than five decades.

NAD determined, however, that the studies were insufficiently reliable to support the advertiser’s health claims. Specifically, none of the studies were double-blind or placebo controlled and none of them elicited statistically significant results.

Following its review, NAD determined that the claim “Lipo-Flavonoid Plus has been used and evaluated in clinical settings for over 50 years” and similar claims were supported. NAD determined that the claim “#1 Ear Doctor Recommended” was supported but recommended that the advertiser discontinue the reference to “relief of ringing in the ears” in connection with the claims.

Finally, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the challenged testimonial, which reasonably conveyed the unsupported message that Lipo-Flavonoid Plus’s substantially reduces or eliminates tinnitus and the symptoms of Ménière’s Disease, and other claims that promise Lipo-Flavonoid Plus can substantially reduce or eliminate tinnitus and other symptoms of Ménière’s Disease.

Clarion, in its advertiser’s statement, said it would appeal NAD’s adverse findings to the NARB.

Note: A recommendation by NAD to modify or discontinue a claim is not a finding of wrongdoing and an advertiser’s voluntary discontinuance or modification of claims should not be construed as an admission of impropriety. It is the policy of NAD not to endorse any company, product, or service. Decisions finding that advertising claims have been substantiated should not be construed as endorsements.