Sexual Enhancement Products Fail to Enhance
A new study from ConsumerLab.com says that nearly 60 percent of products marketed for their sexual enhancement properties fail to live up to their claims.
The research evaluated clinical evidence on 22 products sold over the counter as sexual enhancement supplements. Products purchased included seven with L-arginine, five containing yohimbe, five with epimedium (AKA horny goat weed) and five others with a combination of these ingredients.
Eleven products were bought online, eight came from health food stores and three from pharmacies.
ConsumerLab.com found that 11 products failed to meet the FDA’s labeling requirements. Only nine of the products tested passed the review.
Moderator’s Comment: Do retailers have a responsibility
to their customers to remove items from sale that have been proven ineffective
and/or have misleading labels?
More than four in ten women and three in ten men are believed
to suffer from sexual dysfunction. Many are desperate to do something about
their conditions. Bob Dole tells us that Viagra did the trick for him, although
Elizabeth has not substantiated this claim to our knowledge.
Viagra, however, is not the answer for many. The president
of ConsumerLab.com, Dr. Tod Cooperman has said, “Viagra’s success has spawned
a plethora of alternative therapies marketed for sexual dysfunction. People
interested in using these products, however, need to view them critically –
as the effectiveness of most ingredients has not been well proven and many products
are poorly made.”
This study comes on the heels of recent news that most
weight loss products make claims that can not be substantiated either. Caveat
Emptor. [George
Anderson – Moderator]