NEW YORK

Some of Sovereign Laboratories wide range of advertising claims for Colostrum-LD, a bovine colostrum dietary supplement, are not supported with sufficient evidence, according to a review from the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Claims at issue in NADs review included:

NAD reviewed claims and testimonials that appeared at a website for the Center for Nutritional Research, which is presented as an independent research site, but is directly linked to the Colostrum-LDs primary advertising sites, NewLifeHealthSolutions.com and ColostrumTherapy.com. NAD recommended that the advertiser clearly and conspicuously disclose its connection to the seemingly neutral website, which includes many of the claims at issue, as well as a link to purchase the advertisers product.

NAD, the advertising industrys self-regulatory forum, examined performance, safety, and comparative claims made in Internet advertising for the product, following a challenge by the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN.) In addition to express and implied claims made for Colustrum-LD, NAD also considered whether the advertiser adequately disclosed material connections to websites that offered the product for sale.

NAD determined the advertiser could substantiate general claims that the product may help support immune health, but recommended the advertiser discontinue claims that went beyond the message that the product supports" immune health.

NAD found insufficient evidence to support the superiority claims at issue, including claims that, Colostrum is clinically proven to be 3X more effective than the flu vaccine" and determined that the advertisers safety claims were overly broad. NAD recommended the advertiser discontinue the superiority and safety claims at issue.

NAD found the sufficient evidence supports the claims, Artificial hormones, antibiotics and other toxic chemicals can minimize the effectiveness of the product and create unwanted side-effects," and Colostrum that comes from pasture-fed herds, who eat healthy, green grass, getting live enzymes that is naturally designed to eat, will contain more of these beneficial enzymes that aid in assimilation" because they accurate discussions of how certain impurities can affect the colostrum produced.   

However, NAD found that the advertisers claims promoting colostrums ability to heal holes in the gut were unsupported and recommended that they be discontinued.

Additionally, NAD found insufficient evidence to support claims that Colostrum is the world's most important and respected supplement," Increases energy and stamina, lean muscle mass, activates fat metabolism, and returns our body to vibrant health," or that colostrum provides benefits related to Anti-aging, Arthritis, Asthma & Allergies, Athletic Performance, Auto-Immune Conditions, Candida, Cardiovascular...and more!" NAD recommended the advertiser discontinue the claims.

NAD further recommended that the advertiser discontinue testimonials that compare colostrum supplementation with medical treatment or suggest that colostrum supplementation is a cure or treatment for various medical conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.

The company noted in its advertisers statement that it disagrees with certain of NADs findings, but indicated it would comply with NADs decision.