National Advertising Division Questions Claims for a Company's Dietary Supplements

Many posts have discussed "alternative" treatments. The Advertising Self-Regulatory Council reports:= (h/t HBE):

The National Advertising Division has recommended that Pursuit of Research, LLC, discontinue all challenged claims for the company’s Nutriiveda dietary supplements, which are marketed as “cures” for conditions that include attention deficit disorder, apraxia, autism, diabetes, dyspraxia, seizures, traumatic brain injury and stroke. The advertiser said it will appeal NAD’s decision to the National Advertising Review Board (NARB.)

The claims at issue were challenged by Nourishlife, LLC, manufacturer of a competing product, Speech Nutrients.

NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

NAD noted in its decision that the advertiser sells Nutriiveda Original on its Pursuit of Research website. The advertiser also is the founder of the Cherab Foundation, “a world-wide nonprofit organization working to improve the communication skills and education of all children with speech and language delays and disorders.

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The advertiser explained that Nutriiveda Original is an all natural gluten-free and casein-free food product that provides essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals and soluble fiber. The advertiser posited that protein and essential amino acid deficiencies and changes to gut bacteria through diet are linked to autism, apraxia and other neurological disorders.

The advertiser has not conducted any clinical trials on the efficacy of Nutriiveda Original, but maintained that the essential amino acids and whey protein in Nutriiveda are responsible for the claimed health benefits. The advertiser offered as support a number of research articles on amino acids and testimonials from its website.

NAD determined that none of the articles submitted by the advertiser described studies that constituted competent and reliable evidence sufficient for claim support.