Months ago, Cellasene, was the hottest supplement on the market. Advertisements claimed the pill was a miracle cure for eliminating the pouchy, under the skin fat often seen on the back of women's thighs and upper arms or men's bellies. The name of the product mimicked the condition it was supposed to cure, cellulite. (This is a commercially developed, not a scientific name.) Marketing of Cellasene was supported by anecdotal evidence and the research of a few plastic surgeons, including one in NYC who measured the response (in centimeters) on the thighs of his patients.

I wrote a newsletter that panned the product because I know what this pouchy skin is-fat. It gets pouchy in some people because of a genetic disposition re the location of fat cells. Some very low in fat men and women have these more visible fat deposits and some very overfat men and women do not have. I repeated a question I asked readers when thigh creams were popular, "where does all that fat go?" That column precipitated many comments from readers of this newsletter who wrote, "if it isn't true, why is it on Dateline, The Today Show, and in Time Magazine?" I reminded the people who took time to write that, sadly, the media often reports theories as if they were facts before the results are in because they are good attention getters. As it turned out, even anecdotal testimonials about Cellasene revealed that when people stopped using the supplement (which was expensive) the fat returned.

If you have not been taught how to "read" research claims, the statements that support products and services similar to those for Cellasene and other miracle remedies sound logical, conclusive and true. Those of us in the health promotion business ignore advertisements and, instead, look for a series of laboratory then clinical human studies to support the claims of a product. The most important, for me, is called double blind, peer reviewed, published research. In this scenario volunteers use a product without the volunteer, the research company or any of the doctors delivering the medication knowing whether the product is the "miracle" formula or a placebo (a sugar pill). After the results, either by lab blood and/or urine tests or reports from users, are tabulated, the studies are reviewed by a panel of professionals in the field and, if significant, published in a respected journal (this does not include Reader's Digest, Prevention magazines and other trade publications you can buy on your newstand.)

In case you haven't noticed, the marketing for Cellasene has disappeared. That's because the Federal Trade Commission successfully prosecuted the company for making unsubstantiated claims and creating misleading advertisements. Unfortunately, the media that generated interest in the subject, ignored it's demise.

Now there are new products to take Cellasene's place. The most popular right now seems to be Slenderstrips-a product that mimics the role of stop smoking patches. According to this advertisement, you can put the patch on your skin and watch the fat melt away. (Of course the advertisements don't' mention the required exercise and lower in calorie diet that comes with the strips.)

There are several web sites that are managed by people who are more assertive than me when it comes to separating fact from fiction. When it comes to diet and/or weight loss claims consider visiting: http://www.phys.com/b_nutrition/00home/home.htm. Another great site for getting some idea of the kind of stories that are perpetuated, mostly by email, is http://www.urbanlegends.com. This site is separated by topic so you can learn the truth about all the legends out there. The old standbys are still http://www.quackwatch.com and National Council Against Health Fraud at: http://www.ncahf.org/

Bottom line (if you'll excuse the pun) is: if it seems too good to be true, it probably isn't (true).