Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H., with help from Stephen Barrett, M.D., It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; other news items; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; research tips; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. The Digestâs primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips. Items posted to this archive may be updated when relevant information becomes available. To subscribe, click here.
Misinformation peddlers exploiting Twitter Blue verification. A NewsGuard investigation has found rampant misinformation spread on Twitter by 25 accounts randomly selected from accounts identified as: (a) paying $8 a month for a âblue checkâ through Twitter owner and CEO Elon Muskâs Twitter Blue verification system, (b) having at least 50,000 followers, and (c) either having affiliation with a website NewsGuard has assessed as having spread false information, or found in NewsGuardâs proprietary Misinformation Fingerprints database of spreaders of false narratives. [Wang M, and others. Verified misinformation: âBlue Checkâ Twitter accounts are flooding the platform with false claims. NewsGuard Misinformation Monitor, April 2023] Blue checks used to signify author âauthenticity, notability and activity.â During the first week of March 2023, NewsGuard found:
- the 25 accounts posted a total of 141 tweets containing false, misleading, and unsubstantiated claims
- those tweets were viewed 27 million times and received more than 760,000 likes and retweets
- the accounts retweeted a total of 35 posts containing misinformation
- COVID-19 was the most common focus for falsehoodsâ15 of the accounts baselessly claimed in 66 tweets and retweets that  COVID-19 vaccines were dangerous or have caused mass death, AIDS, strokes, stillbirths, or other injuries
- far-right commentator Stew Peters (@RealStewPeters) falsely claimed in a March 2 tweet that men who had received mRNA COVID-19 vaccines âare essentially infertile and their penises are rotting offâ
- other questionable claims included COVID-19 virus is human-made or was intentionally engineered as a bioweapon (16 tweets), ivermectin is a proven COVID-19 treatment (7 tweets), and mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are gene therapies that change peopleâs DNA (4 tweets)
- 10 of the 25 accounts were reinstated under Musk after being suspended under Twitterâs previous ownership
NewsGuard concluded that under Musk, Twitter has become âa space that enables some of the most influential misinformers to run amok.â
Study finds prevention counters conspiracy beliefs. Researchers in Ireland have concluded that the most promising approaches for reducing susceptibility of adults to conspiracy beliefs take place before exposure to those beliefs and focus on inoculating people with information or teaching them critical thinking. [OâMahony C and others. The efficacy of interventions in reducing belief in conspiracy theories: A systematic review. PLOS One, April 5, 2023] The conclusion is based on their assessment of 25 controlled-intervention studies identified through a systematic search of the relevant scholarly literature. They defined conspiracy beliefs as âa set of beliefs that explain important events as secret plots by powerful and malevolent groups.â They noted conspiracy beliefs are often linked to negative personal, social, and health-related consequences such as reluctance to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. The study concluded:
- there is no easy, practical solution to the problem of conspiracy beliefs
- interventions to appeal to emotions or empathy were not effective
- counterarguments were not effective after research subjects had already been exposed to conspiracy theories
- ââŠwhen interventions moved beyond putting participants in an analytical mindset, and actually explicitly taught them how to evaluate conspiracy beliefs using specific critical thinking skills, they were much less likely to have conspiracy beliefsâ
Consumer-protection organization attacks Nutrafolâs âhair-raisingâ claims. TruthInAdvertising.org (TINA.org) has filed a complaint with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over claims made by Nutrafol in television and social media ads promoting its supplement products for growing hair and preventing hair loss. [Hair-raising claims by Unileverâs Nutrafol reported to regulators. TruthInAdvertising.org, April 5, 2023] In December, TINA.org alerted readers that Nutrafol products (a) lack required FDA drug approval to claim its products increase hair growth and prevent hair loss, and (b) are not substantiated with competent and reliable scientific evidence to make health and disease-treatment claims, as required by federal law. Moreover, according to TINA.org:
- Nutrafol has made more than 100 health claims without proper substantiation for their products, including that they balance hormones and treat hot flashes and anxiety
- the studies Nutrafol cites on a Clinical Trials webpage as âclinicalâ support for its marketing claims are seriously flawed
- Nutrafol is violating the Restore Online Shoppersâ Confidence Act and the FTCâs general disclosure requirements for online marketing by not adequately disclosing subscription terms to consumers and reportedly making it difficult for consumers to cancel subscriptions
- Nutrafol employs influencers to promote its products on social media but doesnât ensure they clearly and conspicuously disclose their material connection to the company or disclose the promotional posts are ads, both in violation of FTC law
- undisclosed Nutrafol influencer posts can be found across various social media platforms despite an FDA reminder in October 2021 to many companies, including Unilever, that material connections between endorsers and brands, which can range from the gift of a free product to a lucrative endorsement deal, must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed in a manner that will be easily understood by the intended audience
On April 4, 2023, TINA.org sent letters to 25 hair-growth-product companies notifying them of deceptive marketing trends in the industry and urging them to review their marketing to ensure compliance with the law.
FDA strengthens cosmetic regulation. The FDA has provided a background page on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (MoCRA), which it describes as the most significant expansion of the FDAâs authority to regulate cosmetics and ensure their safety since the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic (FD&C) Act was passed in 1938. MoCRA gives the FDA authority to: (a) access and copy certain records related to a cosmetic product, including safety records, if certain conditions are met, and (b) order a mandatory recall if it determines there is a reasonable probability a cosmetic is adulterated or misbranded, the use of or exposure to the cosmetic will cause serious adverse health consequences or death, and the responsible person refuses to recall the product voluntarily. With some exemptions, MoCRA requires the industry to: (a) report serious adverse events to the FDA, (b) register their facilities with the FDA and renew their registration every two years, (c) list each marketed cosmetic product with the FDA, and (d) ensure and maintain records supporting adequate safety substantiation for products. [Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022. FDA, March 27, 2023]
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