Quackwatch: Trump and dietary supplement

[Guest guest]

(FYI only - no reply)

Consumer Health Digest #09-29

July 16, 2009

Trump goes MLM

Trump, whom many Americans associate with good entrepreneurial

judgment, is now urging people to become distributors in a multilevel

marketing company called The Trump Network. In a video on the

company's Web site, Trump states that his plan is " designed to lead

millions of Americans to better health and financial independence. "

http://www.trumpnetwork.com/ The company, operating since 1997 as

Ideal Health, was renamed The Trump Network several months ago when

Trump partnered with the founders.

Its flagship product is a " customized " dietary supplement said to be based on

the results of a urine hormone test called the PrivaTest. In 2004, Quackwatch

criticized the test and many of the company's health claims and noted that the

FTC had received seven complaints from people who lost from $5,000 to $25,000 by

investing in questionable television advertising programs. [barrett S. Ideal

Health's PrivaTest: Another scheme to sell you something. Quackwatch, Nov 19,

2004] http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Tests/privatest.html

It will be interesting to see whether Trump's involvement triggers

media and regulatory attention to any wrongdoing.

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by

Barrett, M.D., and cosponsored by NCAHF and Quackwatch. It

summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement

actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and

nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer

protection and consumer decision-making.