Health

Don't let 'slimming' turn into 'harming the body' (people's attention)

2025-08-25   

Recently, with weight loss becoming a "summer necessity" for many people, the weight loss market has ushered in a consumption boom. However, behind exaggerated advertising campaigns such as "Fast fat burning, lose 10 pounds in a week!" and "No dieting or exercise, easy weight loss without burden!", there are many hidden consumer traps. False advertising and exaggerated efficacy are prominent issues in weight loss consumption. A netizen from Huizhou, Guangdong left a message on the "People's Complaints" platform of People's Daily Online. After purchasing "Body Slimming Cream" online in April this year, she was asked to add a WeChat customer service with enterprise certification. The customer service asked for her personal information under the pretext of "gift giving" and "customized plan", and promoted a high priced weight loss package, promising to "take effect in 3 to 5 days" and "create a physique that is not easy to gain weight". Afterwards, the customer service even used phrases such as "prevent rebound" and "stop endangering health" to ask her to transfer funds multiple times to upgrade her package from April to May, with a cumulative consumption of 18000 yuan. Later, I found out that the product I purchased was just a regular meal replacement food without any special weight loss benefits. The manufacturer's phone number labeled on the packaging could not be answered, suspected to be a 'three no' product. Inducing consumption and false advertising of weight loss products not only harm consumers' economic interests, but may also have adverse effects on their physical and mental health. Ms. Wang from Xinyang, Henan reported that she spent more than 2000 yuan on a certain brand of weight loss medicine on an e-commerce platform. The merchant promised a "refund for no effect" and provided a 180 day after-sales guarantee. But after taking it for a month, she not only did not lose weight but also gained 5 pounds and experienced constipation. I complained to the merchant, but the customer service kept asking me to take it normally and ignored the refund request. I complained to the e-commerce platform, but I couldn't find the refund option on the order page, "Ms. Wang said helplessly. The first step in weight loss is to lose fat. Everyone's physical condition, basal metabolic rate, dietary habits, and lifestyle are different, and the effectiveness of weight loss varies from person to person. Therefore, no weight loss product can be suitable for everyone and achieve significant results in a short period of time. Some weight loss products may help people lose weight by promoting diuresis, increasing bowel movements, etc., allowing them to quickly eliminate a large amount of water. But this effect is temporary, once normal diet and water intake are restored, weight will rebound. ”Shang Juju, Director of the Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis and Treatment Center at Beijing Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital affiliated with Capital Medical University, said. The contract traps and obstacles to rights protection in the field of weight loss services cannot be ignored. Many readers have reported that after purchasing trial packs of weight loss products, their weight has not decreased and there have been significant side effects. When defending their rights, the platform and merchants have been shifting blame to each other, with "merchants refusing refunds on the grounds of product opening, and the platform only providing small discount coupons as a solution. Some summer weight loss training camp advertisements claim "precise weight loss" and "scientific shaping", but the description of the effect in the contract is vague, and clauses such as "no refund or exchange" and "voluntary waiver of rights protection" are marked. A reader from Cixi City, Zhejiang Province said that after registering for a weight loss training camp, he found that the conditions of the camp did not match the promotion on the evening of June 8th. The living conditions were poor, the food was poor, and there was no training venue advertised. I didn't fall asleep all night. The next day, I requested a refund, but as a result, I had to deduct 35% of the penalty for breach of contract before I even attended class. The merchant's "overbearing clause" made him very angry. In weight loss consumption, the problem of personal information leakage of consumers also occurs from time to time. For example, some weight loss apps require users to fill in detailed data such as height, weight, medical history, etc. for online testing, but then leak the information, resulting in frequent harassing phone calls or precise fraud for users. How to identify whether the promotion of weight loss products is "reliable"? Fan Shiqian, Deputy Director of the Institute of Economic Law at China University of Political Science and Law, stated that many weight loss products claim to be effective in "3 to 5 days" and "no dieting, no exercise", which often constitutes exaggeration or false advertising. Legitimate weight loss health foods should have corresponding labeling, drugs should be labeled with 'National Medical Products Administration', and medical devices should have registration certificates or filing certificates. According to the Advertising Law, health food advertisements must not contain assertions or guarantees of efficacy or safety. Therefore, many promises of weight loss efficacy violate legal provisions. Experts suggest that consumers can actively protect their rights and interests when purchasing weight loss products or services. If the promised weight loss effect of the merchant is not achieved, consumers should pay attention to the service content, effect guarantee, refund policy and other clauses in the contract, and actively collect evidence. If the product damages the consumer's physical health, consumers should also seek medical treatment in a timely manner, keep relevant medical information such as diagnosis certificates and medical records, so as to demand that the merchant bear the corresponding medical expenses and compensation in the future, "said Fan Shiqian. How to choose a weight loss plan that suits oneself? Shang Juju suggests using weight loss products under the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist. For services such as weight loss training camps, attention should be paid to their professionalism and whether they can develop personalized plans. At the same time, it is important to pay attention to whether there are doctors and nutritionists in the weight loss camp. "Weight loss is a long-term process, which requires enough perseverance to control diet, exercise properly, adjust sleep, and avoid weight rebound after rapid weight loss." Previously, the National Health Commission pointed out in its routine health tips at a news conference that there is a large amount of health related information on the Internet now, and there are many channels for people to obtain information. In the face of massive health information, it is very important to master some methods to identify authenticity and rumors. A staff member of the National Health Commission stated that "one-sided exaggeration claiming that weight loss can be easily achieved through certain foods, weight loss products, or folk remedies is usually a rumor

Edit:GUAN LUCIANA Responsible editor:Zhang Lin

Source:people.cn

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