Fat-burning foods and other pseudo science

WOULD you like to kick-start your metabolism and strengthen your natural immunity to diseases? Just eat fat-burning foods with immune-boosting ingredients, and drink alkaline water.

Actually, that whole paragraph, and its very concept, is a lie. But it sounds promising – and familiar – doesn’t it? It’s common for marketers to exaggerate claims to entice us to buy products. And we believe much of what we read when it sounds scientific and plausible.

This practice is brilliantly exposed in a video from McGill University’s Office for Science and Society (OSS) that went viral last week. Jonathan Jarry, science communicator at the OSS (and the person who made the video), says flashy marketing, accompanied by cool music, enticing fonts and pleasing images, are very effective tools of persuasion.

“Many people believe what they see because the packaging is convincing,” Jarry says. “Our access to information has exploded since the development of the internet, and yet most of us have never been taught how to critically assess this information.” And the truth is, lots of “information” is junk.

Don’t fall for scientific-sounding claims or nutritional trickery. Here are four examples to be aware of.

So-called fat-burning foods The claim: Certain foods rev up metabolism and cause heat inside the body, which helps you lose weight as fat burns away.

The reality: Studies show that capsaicin in hot peppers does have some effect on internal temperature and metabolism, but it’s minimal. Hot peppers cannot solve the obesity epidemic.

Websites that sell capsaicin supplements throw in scientific words that most people don’t understand, such as adipocytes, neuropeptides and thermogenesis.

These terms sound clinical and credible, and you’re led to believe that these pills can aid weight loss, no matter your diet or exercise level. It’s bunk.

And then there’s the multitude of online articles that list the “best fat-burning foods” and highlight random items such as oatmeal, chicken and yoghurt. Sure, these foods can be part of a balanced diet, but there’s absolutely no evidence that they magically make your fat cells shrink away. No food, beverage or supplement can do that.

Immune-boosting foods The claim: Foods with vitamins or antioxidants can strengthen your immune system and leave you more resistant to disease.

The reality: Any food that is part of a healthy diet will promote good overall health, which helps the immune system function optimally, says David Stukus, associate professor in the division of allergy and immunology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio.

“Claims that individual foods can boost immunity are generally unfounded and extrapolated from research in lab animals or data that does not demonstrate any true cause-and-effect relationship,” Stukus says.

So-called acid-neutralising alkaline water

The claim: Because it’s less acidic than tap water and contains more minerals, proponents believe alkaline water can neutralise the acid in your blood and lead to better health. Website sales pitches claim alkaline water can help you lose weight, avoid diabetes, live longer, fight cancer and, my favourite, boost your immune system.

The reality: “For alkaline water to work it would have to overcome a strong protective mechanism that we all have: our blood is always kept within a very strict pH range.

"Drinking alkaline water won’t change that, especially since our stomach’s acid will neutralise the alkalinity. It’s pseudoscience, pure and simple,” says Jarry.

No added sugar The claim: Packages of sweet foods made with fruit say they have “no added sugar”.

The reality: Fruit can be turned into sugar during processing, and it’s easy to consume too much.

Companies take real fruit, concentrate it into a pulp or purée, and then use it to sweeten foods.

Because it comes from fruit, food labelling laws allow the sweetener to be called natural, and the claim “no added sugar” is permissible, even though the fruit is basically processed into sugar or syrup.

If a food package says “no added sugar,” look at the ingredients list.

If you see fruit pulp, concentrate orpurée, that’s sugar! The bottom line is: buyer beware.

Rosenbloom, a registered dietitian, is president of Words to Eat By, a nutrition communications company specialising in writing, nutrition education and recipe development. She is the co-author of Nourish: Whole Food Recipes Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans.