NAD REFERS ADVERTISING FROM GOOD HEALTH NATURALLY FOR SERRANOL SUPPLEMENT TO FTC FOR FURTHER REVIEW

New York, New York – April 9, 2012  – The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus has referred advertising for Serranol dietary supplement, marketed by Good Health Naturally, to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for further review, after the company declined to fully participate in a National Advertising Division review of its advertising claims.

As part of an initiative to expand the review of advertising claims made for dietary supplements, the Council for Responsible Nutrition challenged advertising claims made for the product.

NAD, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory forum, requested substantiation for:

The advertised health benefits of product ingredient Ecklonia Cava Extract (ECE) for people who suffer conditions that include fibromyalgia, vascular inflammation, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular conditions, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anti-clotting disorders, memory disorders, brain function disorders, joint and nerve pain, allergies, COPD,obesity, diabetes or penile dysfunction.

The advertised health benefits of product ingredient Serra Enzyme, including “Its wide use throughout the past 30 years, 23 studies, successful use by doctors throughout the world, and its fantastic library of testimonials makes this essential supplement to what you don’t find in your everyday diet.  By helping to prevent and remove dead tissue and unhealthy inflammation, it allows the body’s naturally healthy process to function.”

Safety claims, including “Ecklonia Cava- all studies indicate that there is no toxicity at any level.  Numerous clinical tests have been done and no adverse effects have been found at any human dose level of 1-10 mg/kg.”

Product claims that the product is a pro-immunity, anti-inflammatory, pro-circulation, anti-aging product, as well as a “Powerful astonishing formula to fight everything from joint problems to life-threatening conditions like cancer.”

With the exception of three claims, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue all of the challenged claims because it did not conduct any studies on the Serranol product itself and because it provided only animal studies, informal summaries, abstracts or bibliographic references in support of the majority of its ingredient claims.

NAD determined that the very few in vitro and in vivo full-text studies submitted by the advertiser were insufficient to support the advertiser’s strong health claims.  NAD further determined that the advertiser did not produce any evidence to support its safety claims, although the advertiser is free to tout that ECE is an edible brown algae.

Finally, NAD determined that the advertiser had reasonable basis for a claim that the curcumin in Serranol “reduces inflammation in joints” and that ECE is an antioxidant.

The advertiser failed to submit a statement that it would comply with NAD’s recommendations. As a result, NAD has referred the advertising claims at issue to the FTC for further review