Facebook promoting dangerous and even banned supplements

I stopped using Facebook several years ago because of its diminishing value. I stopped seeing updates from some of my childhood friends because it became a hell site, so I deleted everything and quit. Is anyone still maintaining the science based medicine page? I am wondering what social media will look like ten years from now. The appetite for long form writing seems to have been replaced by media like Tik Tok. I don't know what Facebook is like for users anymore, but I always found the advertising to be a little bit shady. There is an investigation into Facebook's advertising standards. They looked at the advertisements on the platform. It found advertisements for supplements that weren't legit. Consumers Reports began because Facebook's Ad Library is easy to access. The library is a database of all the ads on Facebook. The ad's creator, when it was published, and the ad itself are included in the library. Depending on where you are, you will see advertisements for diet, diabetes, and more. I was presented with advertisements for various supplements when I tried long COVID. Dozens of ads can be found if you search for "weight loss".

A tool called Citizen Browser was used by consumers reports. The application captures and analyzes advertisements as they are being presented to actual Facebook users It gives more information on the user experience. The products were advertised.

• Comfrey is advertised even though it’s illegal to sell in the USA owing to the potential for causing liver damage and even death.
• Kratom is an herbal extract sold as a stimulant and pain reliever and was sold on Facebook Marketplace. There are numerous reports of death following ingestion. Following inquiries by Consumers Reports, most advertisements disappeared from Facebook.
• Something called “Focus + Recall” promoted as a brain supplement was targeted at users as young as 18 years old, as well as “women in STEM fields” (science, technology, engineering, and math).
• A “Reverse Diabetes Package” appeared to be marketed to those interested in the topic of diabetes. The ad copy read, “This diabetes type 2 patient just ate a Walmart pie without headaches or a spike in his sugar levels. ” (With emoji):

The report is from Consumers Reports. The first ad had a mistake.

There aren't many supplements that have any effect on the management of diabetes.

Most of these ads remained on the platform until Consumers Reports notified Facebook of their findings.

Supplements are a “Buyer Beware” market

There are many reasons why someone would want to take a supplement. They're thought to be less risky than pharmaceutical drugs. The American regulatory framework for supplements effectively excludes manufacturers from most of the regulations that are in place for prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and puts the requirement to prove harm on the FDA. The FDA relies on other forms of monitoring to make sure that supplements are safe because there is no routine pre-market or post- market testing. Adverse event reports and consumer complaints are some of the things this includes. The FDA can take supplements off the market if it deems it necessary. The FTC has the power to prosecute manufacturers for fraud.

In a paper published in August of this year, researchers looked at the effectiveness of 30 supplements that were sold on Amazon. They found that of 30 products purchased, 17 had inaccurate labels, 13 were mis branded, and 9 were not disclosed on the label. The authors made a note of it.

Claims made on the labels of most dietary supplement products seem to stretch what would be considered as allowable claims, which can by statute and/or FDA regulations be made for dietary supplements.

Conclusion: Be skeptical of products hosted on Facebook ads

According to an analysis by Consumers Reports, Facebook is being used to market products that are not approved by the FDA. There isn't much enforcement of its policies against marketing unsafe products. With the general state of quality control and marketing standards observed for dietary standards, it is highly likely that consumers are being misled and may even have health risks. Consumers should be wary of supplements sold online because of the lack of incentive to prevent the marketing of these products on social media sites.

• Scott is looking at the profession of pharmacy through the lens of science-based medicine. He wants to improve the cost-effective use of drugs. Scott has a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Toronto. He has worked in both community and hospital settings. He is a registered pharmacy in Canada. Scott doesn't have conflicts of interests. Scott does not represent the opinions of any current or former employers or organizations that he may be associated with. Information should not be used as a substitute for consultation with a licensed and accredited health professional.

  All posts are available to view.