Leah Bekkerus
Nutrition
9.12.2007
Article Evaluation
For this assignment I selected an advertisement from Cosmopolitan magazine. The advertisement is selling the weight loss supplement Hydroxycut. As I read through the article I found many things that did not seem to be logical. While evaluating this advertisement using the guidelines given in class I have decided that this is not a credible source.
Using the guidelines for evaluating claims given in lecture I focused my attention on the selling aspect of this advertisement. The sponsor of Hydroxycut is definitely trying to sell a product. The headline reads, “Make your body your best outfit.” The woman in the picture has a before and after shot and is claiming to have lost 22 pounds. But, when reading the fine print it says, “Jessica lost the weight in just 20 weeks with Hydroxycut, diet and exercise. Results will vary.” According to what was taught in class it is normal for a person to lose two pounds in the first week and one to two pounds every week after than with a proper diet and exercise. This advertisement wants the consumer to think that Hydroxycut played a major role in this woman’s weight loss when it is actually normal for a person to lose that much weight just by using healthy eating habits and being active. The article states that Hydroxycut is, “America’s #1 selling weight-loss product.” This statement is most likely true but, it is essential to remember that this company is trying to sell the consumer a product.
There are two testimonials in this advertisement. The main subject is Jessica Stonefield. She is said to have lost 22 pounds in 20 weeks. This is a normal rate of weight-loss. But, the article goes on to explain Jessica’s lifestyle. She is a personal trainer from Missoula. Montana. My question to the advertisement and the company of Hydroxycut is: why would a personal trainer be taking a weight-loss supplement? In order to be a personal trainer she would have to be working with people helping them to lose weight. The testimonial just is no logical.
The second testimonial in this advertisement is from a doctor who sponsors Hydroxycut. Dr. Nick Evans, a 1989 graduate from St. Mary’s Hospital Medical School, in London, England recommends Hydroxycut. He states, “I recommend Hydroxycut with diet and exercise to health women who wish to lost fat. Hydroxycut is the best weight-loss supplement that I’ve ever used.” This testimonial is just odd. He recommends it specifically to women who want to lose fat. It makes me wonder why he did not say the product is for women who want to lose weight. He also recommends it specifically to women, but then states that it is the best product he has ever used. Testimonials are hard to trust when the article or advertisement is trying to sell a product.
The flow of logic seems to be a little weird in this advertisement. The amount of weight Jessica lost is in very big letters yet, the time it took her to lose the weight is in small italics under her picture. The advertisement makes it seem like Hydroxycut is a quick-fix supplement when really it takes just as long to lose the weight as it would with diet and exercise alone. There is also a deceptive omission in this advertisement. It is stated that Hydroxycut is America’s best selling weight loss product but it does not state if it is the best or best for the consumer. There are no statements about the results of the product other than the fine print at the bottom which states: “In two 8-week studies in which all groups followed a dies and exercise plan, subjects using the primary ingredients in Hydroxycut lost, on average, significantly more weight than subjects who were using a placebo.” This still does not tell us if it is the best working pill out there. It also states that, “individuals have been remunerated.” I have never heard of that word before so I looked it up. Remunerated means to pay (a person) a suitable equivalent in return for goods provided, services rendered, or losses incurred; recompense, according to Webster’s online dictionary. I feel like they do not want people to know that this product might not work so they put the disclaimer in a sentence that most people skim over.
There is not much said about the formulator of this product in the advertisement. In the article it states that Hydroxycut was: “formulated by a medical doctor.” Then at the bottom in the fine print the name and stats of this doctor are given. Hydroxycut is formulated by Marvin Heuer, MD, FAAFP, Chief Scientific Officer, Iovate. The FAAFP stands for the Fellow American Academy of Family Physicians. It seems like the advertisement is trying to throw credentials at the consumer. It does not state that he is a practicing doctor anywhere or where he received his degree.
In conclusion this advertisement had a definite sense of quackery. The author’s credentials do not seem up to standards, the type of research consists of two short studies, and the claims are a little far-fetched. I know that after reading this article I would not buy Hydroxycut. It seems too good to be true, when actually; you would be able to lose around 22 pounds in 20 weeks by using diet and exercise alone, naturally, without a weight-loss supplement.