© Provided by Facebook Ads of KYTV Springfield (MO).(KY3) - Facebook fans are used to seeing advertisements, including some of dietary supplements, sold with outrageous health claims. From treating diabetes to boosting brain power. However, a new Consumer Reports study found that many of these ads target vulnerable Facebook users with potentially dangerous and illegal products.
For example, CR found multiple verified Facebook page posts promoting the use of comfrey, a harmful dietary supplement.
CR's research also found a troubling trend: Some embedded ads target specific groups of people. We found several Facebook ads that target people interested in diabetes education and allow marketers to promote things like reverse diabetes kits. Medical experts say dietary supplements in general cannot cure or reverse diabetes.
New Life USA removed the product listing and its CEO told CR that he believed diabetics should continue working with their doctors, but also said they should stop taking the medications.
CR also found harmful supplements on Facebook Marketplace, where users can buy and sell new and used products, including "kratom", which is listed as a "drug of concern" by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
Facebook said the inclusion of kratom was against the platform's rules and as soon as CR started asking questions, most of them disappeared.
But even removing the ads for these malicious supplements may not solve the biggest problem.
Unlike pharmaceuticals, which require submission of clinical trials to the Food and Drug Administration before they can be approved and sold, these dietary supplements can end up on the shelf without going through the filter.
In general, consult your doctor before trying any supplements, and make sure you get information about them from official sources such as the National Institutes of Health website medlineplus.gov.
And if you feel sick after taking the supplement, report it to the FDA as an adverse reaction.
To report corrections or errors, please email digitalnews@ky3.com