WASHINGTON--The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has questioned dietary supplements
marketed toward children. "A lot of these products have not been proven to provide
any benefit in some cases, and may even present safety risks," stated Jodie
Bernstein, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The FTC noted that these dietary supplements were advertised as preventives or cures
for a variety of childhood ailments, ranging from colds to attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). In three of the cases brought by the FTC, the marketers were promoting
supplements as safe and effective treatments for ADHD, such as in Efamol's Efalex and
Efalex Focus print ad claims appearing in Parenting, Parade and People.
FTC's complaint alleges that Efalex and Efalex Focus, supplements containing essential
fatty acids, cannot substantiate claims that Efalex can mitigate or cure the effects of
ADHD. The proposed consent agreement with Efamol would prohibit the company from making
claims that any dietary supplement can cure, prevent, treat or mitigate ADHD problems
unless scientific evidence can back the claims. For more information regarding this
matter, visit www.ftc.gov or call Brenda Mack at (202)
326-2182.
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