A FRIEND showed me a brochure of a “health food” – obviously from a multi-level marketing (MLM) brand – that her entire family, including her two young children, has been consuming and urged me to try it, too.
In the brochure, it is claimed that said product, which is made from fermented wheat extract, boosts our immune system by “1,000 times”, “effectively reduces high cholesterol” levels, “repairs insulin-producing cells”, alleviates gastric ulcer and more. Words like “patented”, “from Japan” and – the most egregious – “clinically proven” were brazenly used.
MLM products are notorious for making bold claims and offering quick fixes. And these are often backed by dubious research, some even edging very close to the pseudo-scientific.
My cousin swears by a magical patch called Brand L that supposedly “activates stem cells”. A Grab driver told me of an “age-defying liposome” drop by Brand V.
These products are often marketed as health food, thus bypassing the more stringent regulations governing supplements and medicine. And in the current climate of the coronavirus pandemic, charlatan MLM cure-alls may seem like an attractive panacea to unsuspecting consumers.
WENSHAN PANG
Segamat, Johor
