Electronic Food Rap
Vol. 5 NO. 50
Bill Evers, PhD, RD and April Mason, PhD
Extension Foods and Nutrition Specialists
This is a "dubious products" issue! We need to be constantly reminded that our clientele are bombarded with messages about these kinds of things regularly. Here are only 2 of many!
From: NCAHF NEWSLETTER, September/October 1995, Vol. 18, No. 5
(TWO short articles are given below)
Algae Peddlers Numbers Growing
In August [1995], 3,500 distributors of Cell Tech's blue-green algae products gathered in Klamath Falls, Oregon. According to the report, the number of distributors has grown from 26,000 to 185,000 in the past two years [The Oregonian, 8/4/95]. Cell Tech is the successor of KC Laboratories that was shut down by the FDA in 1986. We [the NCAHF] have been unable to distinguish between the claims and activities of Cell Tech and those that caused KC's demise. The fact that blue-green is also the color of money seems to be a significant factor.
Sports Performance Aid MET-Rx(tm) Questioned
MET-Rx(tm), a sports performance aid, claims to contain a special, superior "European-produced protein." The company has sold over $60 million worth thus far. Because of the number of high profile professional athletes and teams which are touting the product, San Francisco Examiner medical writer Lisa Krieger took a careful look. She reported (9/15/95) that MET-RX(tm) is just another high-priced item that capitalizes upon athletes' wishful thinking. David Lightsey, Coordinator of NCAHF's Ergogenic Acids Task Force, says that there is no magic in MET- Rx(TM) and that the money spent on the product would be more wisely used to buy food. The company's founder, A. Scott Connelly, MD (anesthesiologist) acknowledges that there are no conclusive studies, but says that studies will eventually prove the superiority of his product. In the meantime, he is relying upon the testimonials of happy celebrities.
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