Problems with Advertisements for Health Foods

Abstract

We have been studying the way advertisements for medicines have been monitored by the Health, Labour and Welfare Sciences Research Grants. In the last fiscal year, we identified products that were being advertised to general consumers, such as OTC drugs and designated quasi-drugs, and made recommendations to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare on the methods of advertisement. Members of our research group, including physicians, pharmacists, and consumers, pointed out that advertisements for so-called health foods and foods with functional claims were much more unregulated than those for drugs, including OTC drugs. Thus, this fiscal year, we decided to focus on health foods. Advertisements for health foods are regulated by the Health Promotion Act and the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations; moreover, in many cases, cautions are issued by the Consumer Affairs Agency or prefectures. Several studies also reported health damage in patients who, because of their belief in advertisements, intentionally discontinued treatment or missed the opportunity to receive appropriate medical treatment. Here, we report inappropriate advertisements for health foods that may cause health hazards.