NAD Recommends NourishLife Discontinue Claims at Issue for ‘Speak’ Dietary Supplements; Disclose Website Ownership

New York, NY – Aug. 14, 2013 – The National Advertising Division has recommended that NourishLife, LLC, discontinue certain advertising claims for the company’s “Speak” products, dietary supplements that are marketed to the parents of children with apraxia, a motor speech disorder.

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 its ongoing monitoring of advertising claims, NAD requested that NourishLife provide substantiation for a wide range of advertising claims, including claims that users of the product would see benefits “as soon as the first week.”

In response to NAD’s inquiry, the company – which also operates the website www.apraxiaresearch.com – notified NAD that it had permanently discontinued the following claims:

•  “Promotion of a healthy inflammatory response”
•  “Pharmaceutical Grade”
•  See benefits “as soon as the first week.”
•  “Others notice advances in speech and coordination after several weeks.”
•  “The combination of omega-3 within vitamin E together had a dramatic impact on these children’s symptoms, not only helping with speech, but also improved eye contact and helping to improve pain sensation.”
•  “A patented nutritional therapeutic formulation designed for the treatment of apraxia.”

As a preliminary matter, NAD noted its appreciation for the advertiser’s offer to voluntarily and permanently discontinue the claims, action that NAD found to be necessary and proper.

NAD further noted that the advertiser’s evidence was insufficient to support the remaining claims at issue in NAD’s review, including claims that Speak products provide nutritional support of verbal and motor skills and normal and healthy speech development and reduce oxidative stress, claims that “mounting clinical evidence and hundreds of parental reports indicate this special blend of nutrients provides targeted benefits” and product efficacy claims made in testimonials. NAD recommended the advertiser discontinue those claims and testimonials, as well.

In addition, NAD recommended that the company clearly and conspicuously disclose at www.apraxiaresearch.com that the website is owned and operated by NourishLife.

NourishLife, in its advertiser’s statement, said the company “has enlisted the support of numerous scientists and experts in the field in our efforts to have reliable and competent scientific evidence. While the NAD asserts that the science behind the speak product is emerging, NourishLife maintains that the body of science sufficiently supports the claims made. However, with the combined goal of full cooperation with advertising self-regulation, NourishLife has voluntarily discontinued certain claims and agrees to take NAD’s recommendations into consideration in future marketing materials and advertising.”