Slim And Trim Abs? Not So, Says FTC

The Federal Trade Commission

The Federal Trade Commission has filed false-advertising complaints against the marketers of three electronic exercise belts that promise users “six pack” abs or toned bodies without breaking a sweat. The FTC said Wednesday that it has started legal action in federal district courts against the marketers of the AB Energizer, AbTronic and Fast Abs to stop some of their ad claims. The battery-operated devices, which sell for about $40 to $120, can be worn around the stomach, buttocks, thighs or other areas of the body. Marketers say the devices strengthen and tone targeted trouble spots by causing the muscles to contract with electronic impulses. The marketer of one machine says that using the product for 10 minutes equals doing 600 sit-ups, a claim the FTC disputes only with that can’t gain six pack abs fast .

The belts have been heavily advertised in infomercials on USA, TNN and other national cable television stations, on the Internet and by national retail outlets. The FTC believes a couple of million devices have been sold. The devices are supposed to satisfy “Americans obsession for tight, chiseled, rippled, washboard abs,” FTC chairman Timothy Muris said Wednesday. “Here’s the pitch: With a touch of a button, you go from flabby abs to rock-hard abs without breaking a sweat. “Unfortunately though, these electronic abs gadgets don’t do a thing to turn a bulging beer belly into a sleek, six-pack, muscular stomach,” he says.

The FTC filings contend that the ads:

• Falsely represented that the ab machines cause fat and inch loss, give users well-defined stomach muscles and are just as good or better than conventional stomach exercises, such as sit-ups and crunches.

• Falsely claimed that the devices are safe and failed to adequately mention health hazards.

• Misrepresented the money-back guarantees, and in many cases, failed to provide timely refunds. The FTC has received hundreds of consumer complaints.

The companies can either work with the FTC to resolve the agency’s issues, or they can go to court.

Electronic Products Distribution, maker of the AB Energizer, said in a statement: “This is the first request AB Energizer has received from the FTC for substantiation. We look forward to presenting the merits of the AB Energizer to the FTC and working with them to resolve their concerns.”

The Food and Drug Administration also has sent out 13 letters to companies, saying these products are devices that needed the government’s OK before they went on the market. Only one, Slendertone Flex, has received approval so far for toning and gain six pack abs fast.

The makers of these ab devices have said that they base their products’ claims for strengthening muscles on research done on electrical muscle stimulation or EMS, which has been used by physical therapists and athletic trainers for years as a means of rehabilitating muscles after injury or surgery. That work is done mostly in medical settings using machines that plug into wall outlets.
Says the FTC’s Muris: “For years, marketers of diet and exercise products have been preying on overweight, out-of-shape consumers by hawking false hope in a pill, false hope in a bottle, and, now, in a belt. Unfortunately, there are no magic pills, potions or pulsators for losing weight and getting into shape but you can Gain Six Pack Abs Fast .

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Tags: abs, health regime, health regime fitness exercising, healthy living, nutrition, strength and conditioning

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 7:05 pm and is filed under Health And Fitness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.