Wednesday, December 18, 2013
A Scientific Challenge And PR Nightmare
The supplements industry, the folks that make vitamins, is facing a scientific challenge. One study after another reveals that vitamins have no effect on chronic diseases and heart attacks. The industry has always skated on the edge of medical acceptance, but now researchers are against it and calling multivitamins a waste of money. Thus far, the manufacturers continue to grow and prosper, but for how long? Once people begin to question the pill-popping they do, will they see the light and stop? There doesn't seem to be an alternative for the industry other than to claim that people say they feel better when taking a vitamin. That, however, isn't science. It is selective perception and a placebo effect. Now, there is something to be said for placebos but their efficacy is based on belief and not chemistry. That is hardly enough to impress statisticians. So, the supplements industry has a nascent PR challenge to its existence. How will it handle it? Simply wish it away? Or perform its own studies to determine what works and what doesn't?
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