Be Critical With Anti-Aging Advertisements
February 20, 2009 – 3:15 am
Scientists and researchers have advised consumers to be extra careful when considering the use of various anti-aging products and treatments such as creams, lotions, supplements, and laser procedures. Recent studies show that most of these products use anti-aging advertisements that impart superfluous promises of regaining youthfulness despite the fact that their actual effects might not be that efficient.
The usual claims
If you are an avid TV viewer, you might have noticed many anti-aging advertisements which claim that their products can greatly help consumers regain their youthfulness in just a couple of weeks. They extensively highlight the use of antioxidants, enzymes and various vitamin components and then they market the idea that the natural process of aging can actually be stopped. Contrary to their claims however, many of the marketed anti-aging products seldom cause the deemed positive effects. Some even have adverse consequences such as skin irritation and susceptibility to various diseases. This is why many scientists are warning consumers against the anti aging hype.
A warning to the consumers
Although many entrepreneurs claim that their products and therapies are definitely effective in reducing wrinkles and fine lines and blemishes caused by the process of growing old, S. Jay Olshansky, professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago and his colleagues warned the consumers that there is actually “No Truth to the Fountain of Youth.”
Contrary to what most anti-aging advertisements try to imply about their products, Olshansky along with fifty-one other scientists from various universities and research centers in the United States and Europe pointed out that at present, there is no marketed intervention that has been proven to be effective in stopping or reversing the biological process of aging.
“While the public is bombarded by hype and lies, many biologists are intensively studying the underlying nature of aging in the belief that their research will eventually suggest ways to slow its progression and to thereby postpone infirmity and improve quality of life,” notes Olshansky. “Anyone purporting to offer an anti-aging product today is either mistaken or lying,” he fervently claims.
The truth behind the lies…
The researchers stated that many of the anti-aging supplements that are being marketed now have not been shown to have any effect on aging. What’s worse is that many of the anti aging advertisements do not include warnings about the possible side effects that can result from taking supplements with or without other medications or treatments. That is why researchers note that these medications should not be used without proper advice and guidance from physicians.
Olshansky also stated that researches and studies aimed at preventing or slowing down the process of aging should not be made for mere cosmetic goals. Rather, Olshansky and his colleagues stated that the main goal of biomedical research must be to “prolong the duration of healthy life.”