12 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 342 



3. SPECIFIC FOODS OR FOOD CONCENTRATES FOR REDUCING 



A third type of obesity treatment bases its entire success upon the dietary 

 regime recommended, which, in some cases, may be quite satisfactory. The 

 food or food concentrate offered is not essential to the reducing program out- 

 lined. 



(a) Proprietary Food Concentrates for Reducing. Many of these so- 

 called food concentrates or powders consist of dry milk, cocoa, starch, dextrine, 

 sugar, soya bean flour, and salt. All of these are harmless ingredients but 

 none could possibly produce the reduction in weight claimed by the advertisers. 

 Unwarranted therapeutic or curative claims as well as false statements re- 

 garding the mineral and vitamin content of such products are common offenses. 

 The Food and Drug Administration has issued notices of judgment against 

 certain widely advertised reducing systems. 



Dietene (N.J. 24069 and 24527) 



Stardom's Health Diet (N.J. 24519 and 25828) 



Stoll's Diet-Aid (N.J. 23271) 



Syl-Vette (N.J. 21746) 



(b) Reducing Claims Made for Common Foods. Fruit juices, candies, 

 and other common foods are recommended from time to time by promoters as 

 specific aids to reducing. Some have no place in a reducing diet, others are 

 truly low caloric foods which may logically constitute a part of a sane reducing 

 regime. If these foods are accepted as agreeable adjuncts to a low caloric diet 

 without false confidence in their reducing powers, no harm is done by using 

 them. The advertisements leave the impression, however, that the food in 

 question exerts a positive effect in promoting weight loss. From this stand- 

 point only is the current advertising criticised; they are still wholesome foods 

 to be used freely by all who like them. The consumer is warned, however, 

 against such pseudo-scientific statements as 1S ' 16 "Yields quick energy" but 



is "never fattening," " Modern science discovers burns up fat," "simple 



sugars are quickly absorbed and used and hence not stored as fat." 



A wholesome cereal product has recently promoted a radio advertising cam- 

 paign in which the slender figure of certain movie stars is the major appeal. 

 The food has no specific reducing properties and is itself a carbohydrate food. 

 Such advertising is grossly misleading and destroys confidence in food adver- 

 tising in general. 17 



LAXATIVE FOODS 



The control of chronic constipation is commonly attempted by self-medica- 

 tion. This practice can be neither condemned nor endorsed without knowing 

 the cases in question. No attempt will be made here to discuss the relative 

 merits of laxative or cathartic drugs. There are certain principles that should 

 be understood, however, regarding the so-called laxative foods which are on 

 the market. In general, they fall into two classes — those foods to which a 

 cathartic drug has been added, and those which provide cellulose or some other 

 form of bulk. 



Council on Foods. J.A.M.A. 107, 660. 1936. 

 Committee on Foods. J. AM V tOS, 292, 1934. 

 Committee on Foods. J.A.M.A. 105, 1773, 1935. 



