Hydroxycut gets sued. Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon has filed a false advertising suit against the marketers of Hydroxycut, an epehdra-containing product claimed to be a safe and "clinically proven fat burner." The suit charges that the manufacturer, MuscleTech Research and Development Inc., of Mississauga, Ontario, had:

* Failed to disclose that the product contained ephedra or that ephredra posed serious health risks.
* Failed to disclose that its own research showed that Hydroxycut has no efficacy as compared to placebo with the possible exception of an appetite-suppressing effect.
* Manipulated "research" results by failing to disclose when subjects dropped out because of adverse effects, including one case in which hospital care was required.
* Used "before" and "after" photographs obtained with different lighting and poses to create the false impression that people who used the product were trimmer.

MuscleTech states that the Hydroxycut it is producing now is ephedra-free, but Nixon said there are unknown quantities of Hydroxycut still being sold that contain ephedra. The current ingredients include 200 mg of caffeine, the amount in two cups of brewed coffee. Nixon wants the company to stop making misrepresentations, pay restitution to Missouri consumers harmed by the misrepresentations, and to pay undetermined penalties and investigative and court costs to the state.