Tuesday
Jun232009
Tue, June 23, 2009 | Lisa Barger Supple
“I saw this new drink called Supple and I was wondering what you thought of it.”
With the Larry-King-like set and their puppy-dog-eyed presenters, it would be easy to dismiss Supple® as just another late-night scam. But let’s look past those things and take a look some of the claims made. Here are Lisa’s thoughts on this new miracle cure for arthritis:
Supple claims to be a shellfish-free source of glucosamine and a high-quality source of chondroitin sulfate. And, indeed, these 2 dietary supplements have shown a great deal of promise in the fight against one form of arthritis—osteoarthritis. Glucosamine, in particular, is of interest because it is a precursor to glycosaminoglycans. (Glycosaminoglycans are a major component of your body’s cartilage.)
What The Supple® Informercial & Site Won’t Tell You
There are over 100 different types of arthritis and these different types have very different causes. Some arthritis is caused simply by wear-and-tear, some forms are caused by injuries or infections and some are directly tied to immune disorders like lupus and psoriasis. We tend to think of arthritis as something that affects the hands, knees and hips but it can also affect the spine. There’s even a type of arthritis that mainly affects the big toe.
And not all arthritis is caused by a loss of cartilage. Scleroderma, for example, affects the connective tissue and is thought to be caused by an overproduction of the body’s collagen. Fibromyalgia is another form of joint pain that is caused by something other than cartilage loss. It’s actually a disorder thought to be rooted in the way the muscles of the body attach to the bones.
So ask yourself this one question—if arthritis can be caused by so many different things, and affect so many different parts of the body, is it really possible for one supplement to really treat all forms of it?
Where’s This “25 Years of Clinical Evidence”?
Supple® claims to have “25 years of clinical evidence” behind it but nowhere on the product’s site, supplebodies.com, could we find even a single study proving that it had been tested for safety or effectiveness. Nor could we find that Supple® had been the subject of any clinical studies published in any medical journal.
Supple® Criticizes Other Supplements But It’s A Supplement, Too
Finally, we have one really big beef with Supple® with the way it’s being marketed. The product infomercial and website are highly critical of other dietary supplements calling them the “everything else” sold to fight arthritis. Supple® claims that no other supplement has been proven to rebuild cartilage or has been proven safe. This is simply not true. The supplement known as SAM-e, or S-adenosylmethionine, is just one example of an over-the-counter product showing great promise for arthritis. While it has not yet been proven to rebuild cartilage in humans, animal studies prove that SAM-e can arrest cartilage loss and suggest that this supplement may, in fact, even help some arthritis sufferers replace lost cartilage.
Finally, we find it a bit absurd that the makers of Supple® go out of their way to criticize herbal and nutritional supplements when they themselves take the “herbal exemption”, as evidenced by the FDA-mandated disclaimer and the lack of a drug panel on the box. If Supple was really the miracle it claims to be, why wasn’t it subjected to scientific testing? Why does it hide behind an FDA loophole and market itself as the very thing it criticizes—a nutritional supplement?
Does this prove that Supple® is a scam? Certainly not. But now you have the information to make an informed decision.
References:
(2009). Retrieved from supplebodies.com, June 23, 2009.
Caruso, I., et al. (1987). Italian double-blind multicenter study comparing S-adenosylmethionine, naproxen, and placebo in the treatment of degenerative joint disease. American Journal of Medicine.
Kalbhen, D., et al. (1990). Pharmacologic studies on the antidegenerative effect of ademetionine in experimental arthritis in animals. Arzneimittel-Forschung.
With the Larry-King-like set and their puppy-dog-eyed presenters, it would be easy to dismiss Supple® as just another late-night scam. But let’s look past those things and take a look some of the claims made. Here are Lisa’s thoughts on this new miracle cure for arthritis:
Supple claims to be a shellfish-free source of glucosamine and a high-quality source of chondroitin sulfate. And, indeed, these 2 dietary supplements have shown a great deal of promise in the fight against one form of arthritis—osteoarthritis. Glucosamine, in particular, is of interest because it is a precursor to glycosaminoglycans. (Glycosaminoglycans are a major component of your body’s cartilage.)
What The Supple® Informercial & Site Won’t Tell You
There are over 100 different types of arthritis and these different types have very different causes. Some arthritis is caused simply by wear-and-tear, some forms are caused by injuries or infections and some are directly tied to immune disorders like lupus and psoriasis. We tend to think of arthritis as something that affects the hands, knees and hips but it can also affect the spine. There’s even a type of arthritis that mainly affects the big toe.
And not all arthritis is caused by a loss of cartilage. Scleroderma, for example, affects the connective tissue and is thought to be caused by an overproduction of the body’s collagen. Fibromyalgia is another form of joint pain that is caused by something other than cartilage loss. It’s actually a disorder thought to be rooted in the way the muscles of the body attach to the bones.
So ask yourself this one question—if arthritis can be caused by so many different things, and affect so many different parts of the body, is it really possible for one supplement to really treat all forms of it?
Where’s This “25 Years of Clinical Evidence”?
Supple® claims to have “25 years of clinical evidence” behind it but nowhere on the product’s site, supplebodies.com, could we find even a single study proving that it had been tested for safety or effectiveness. Nor could we find that Supple® had been the subject of any clinical studies published in any medical journal.
Supple® Criticizes Other Supplements But It’s A Supplement, Too
Finally, we have one really big beef with Supple® with the way it’s being marketed. The product infomercial and website are highly critical of other dietary supplements calling them the “everything else” sold to fight arthritis. Supple® claims that no other supplement has been proven to rebuild cartilage or has been proven safe. This is simply not true. The supplement known as SAM-e, or S-adenosylmethionine, is just one example of an over-the-counter product showing great promise for arthritis. While it has not yet been proven to rebuild cartilage in humans, animal studies prove that SAM-e can arrest cartilage loss and suggest that this supplement may, in fact, even help some arthritis sufferers replace lost cartilage.
Finally, we find it a bit absurd that the makers of Supple® go out of their way to criticize herbal and nutritional supplements when they themselves take the “herbal exemption”, as evidenced by the FDA-mandated disclaimer and the lack of a drug panel on the box. If Supple was really the miracle it claims to be, why wasn’t it subjected to scientific testing? Why does it hide behind an FDA loophole and market itself as the very thing it criticizes—a nutritional supplement?
Does this prove that Supple® is a scam? Certainly not. But now you have the information to make an informed decision.
References:
(2009). Retrieved from supplebodies.com, June 23, 2009.
Caruso, I., et al. (1987). Italian double-blind multicenter study comparing S-adenosylmethionine, naproxen, and placebo in the treatment of degenerative joint disease. American Journal of Medicine.
Kalbhen, D., et al. (1990). Pharmacologic studies on the antidegenerative effect of ademetionine in experimental arthritis in animals. Arzneimittel-Forschung.
This is a "retired" article left in place for archival purposes; it may not reflect current thinking or research on the topic. No new comments are being accepted at this time
Reader Comments (10)
I googled this and found ALOT of complaints about this company. Do a search and you'll see what I mean.
Typical how all the haters jump on whenever someone comes out with a product that really works. Just because something is sold on tv doesn't mean it's a scam. Next time do a little research before you run something down.
Giving a different point of view doesn't make somebody a hater, as you put it. I think Lisa makes some really good points but I don't rely on her or anybody else to make decision for me. I hope you have a good day.
very happy i came across this website. i use humor to dispel these scams (i do disagree with your final conclusion. it's a scam, but that's just me). What i like about your blog is that you offer an honest assessment. occassionally i might add links to your articles for facts. i guy like me needs them from time to time. keep up the good work!
Thanks, Robert. And if anyone's interested in seeing more of Robert's work, here's that link again: Fibromercials and Scams
This sounds like an infomercial for Sam-e too.......ha ha
hmmm . . . I see what you mean. :-)
Hi Lisa,
Bob again. Hey I just got a pleasant but direct warning email from peter abatow (supposedly) to remove my slanderous post (I am rubbing my hands anticipating how i might do a follow up post to feature it). Anyway, just curious if you have received one as well. It strikes me as a boiler plate response to naysayers as he goes into details about things i never accused him of but maybe should now. Just curious. Thanks!
Yes, I did. Here's my entire response:
very nicely stated i must say.
my response, not so much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for the email. As for the request to remove the post, I have no intention of doing so, however, I have taken a look at your updated website and have noted changes in my original post. It's only fair.
As for why I will not remove the post. As your infomercial makes clear, it represents your opinions and statements unsubstantiated by the FDA. You essentially use the first amendment to say what ever you like about your product, as well as competing products that are all unregulated. I write a humor blog. It is loaded with opinions, mostly funny. Maybe not to everyone, like yourself for instance. I understand that. Anyway, my opinions are about your opinions, and yes, generally I have just terrible opinions about folks who fabricate real interview TV shows to sell a product and then make that "as seen on TV" claim. But that's neither here nor there. At the end of the day i'm just about opinions about opinions and unsubstantiated statements aren't I? It's kind of sad really. Oh well, what it isn't is libel (or as you incorrectly call it, slander). So unless Obama has done away with our first amendment rights, we should both rest assured that we can express what we believe to be true, albeit you for profit, me for ... hmm ... well out of emptiness i suppose.
sincerely and amicably,
bob crane