NAD Recommends Mega-T Discontinue ‘Burns Fat’ Claim; Company Voluntarily Discontinues Certain Other Claims Challenged by CRN

New York, NY – May 18, 2016 – Mega-T, LLC, the maker of “Mega-T Green Tea Fat Burning Supplements,” has said it will permanently discontinue certain advertising claims challenged by the Council for Responsible Nutrition and comply with the recommendations of the National Advertising Division.

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

As part of NAD’s initiative with CRN designed to expand the review of advertising claims for dietary supplements, CRN challenged certain advertising claims made by Mega-T in radio, website and internet advertisements. In response to NAD’s initial inquiry, Mega-T said it would voluntarily permanently discontinue claims that included

• “Now Mega-T has an advanced system that combines probiotics with clinically-effective green tea to help you achieve your weight loss goals”
• “Every Mega-T product is formulated to help you burn more calories than you would otherwise”
• “Mega-T will help increase your energy level and fight fatigue, so you can enjoy an active healthy lifestyle”
• “Every Mega-T product is scientifically formulated to affect the fat oxidation process in your body to help you convert stored fat into burned fat”
• “Free radicals in your body can cause both damage and premature death to your cells. Antioxidants help fight against free radical damage so you can lead a healthier lifestyle”
• Green Tea is rich in catechin polyphenols and other phenolics that have been shown to suppress the growth of certain pathogenic (or harmful) bacteria in the stomach. The result is the ‘good’ bacteria that help maintain healthy digestion are able to multiple more readily and the ‘bad’ bacteria are suppressed”
• “Chromium Reduces body fat” “Garcina Cambogia Reduces food cravings and increases metabolism”
• “Bladderwrack, Fo-To and Gotu Lola Metabolizes, eliminates excess fluids.”

 NAD, relying on the advertiser’s representation, did not review those claims on their merits. However, the claims will be treated, for compliance purposes, as though NAD recommended their discontinuance and the advertiser agreed to comply.

Following its review, NAD determined that the short-term studies and evidence in the record did not support the advertiser’s broad, unqualified “boosts metabolism” claim. However, NAD noted that nothing in its decision prevents the advertiser from making a carefully tailored claim that more closely matches the evidence in the record, namely the short-term nature of the recorded metabolism benefit.

NAD also found that the evidence in the record did not support the claim that the advertiser’s product “burns fat,” because the claim conveys a broader message regarding the physical benefit a consumer would expect from the supplement than would be supported by the studies in the record. Accordingly, NAD recommended that the claim be discontinued.

Mega-T, in its advertiser’s statement, said that while it “did not agree with the findings of the NAD with respect to the two claims the NAD requires modified or discontinued, the Company accepts the NAD’s findings and agrees to cooperate.”

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.