"French" life | Can you lose weight by lying down? Beware of this popular "slimming coffee"

"No need to exercise, lose weight easily." "Effective after one drink, guaranteed to be slim and thin." Seeing these slogans, would you be tempted if you want to lose weight? On the eve of "618", these "weight loss coffee" advertisements flooded all major online shopping platforms. Seeing these "magical" and exaggerated advertising slogans, Zhao Yijie, a lawyer at Henan Huailu Law Firm, told reporters: "Let's not talk about whether it can help lose weight, just looking at these advertising slogans may be suspected of violating the law!"

Does “weight loss coffee” have miraculous effects?

Data shows that in 2023, according to the BMI (body mass index) classification standards for overweight and obesity in my country, 34.8% of the 15.8 million adult subjects were overweight and 14.1% were obese. With the improvement of health awareness and the attention paid to body shape, people have an increasing demand for weight management.

It's another "slimming season" this year. A Xiaohongshu netizen named "Hua Xiaoli", who is determined to "overtake on the curve" and "solve it once and for all" on the road to weight loss, recorded the scam he encountered when buying "slimming coffee".

"I've tried many methods, including skipping rope and eating boiled vegetables, but I still can't lose weight. I hope this coffee has a 'miracle effect'." "Hua Xiaoli" saw an advertisement for weight loss coffee on a WeChat business. This "Goddess Coffee" claimed that drinking a cup is equivalent to exercising for 5 hours and can help you lose 15 pounds in a month. So "Hua Xiaoli" quickly placed an order and bought two boxes. After getting the coffee, "Hua Xiaoli" drank the coffee according to the instructions in the manual, but what she got was not a significant change in her body shape or a decrease in the number on the scale, but a series of adverse reactions, including dry mouth, panic, cold sweats all over her body, and her spirits were also quite weak.

Many netizens on Xiaohongshu also left comments below: "I bought it too, and it's not as good as advertised." "Every time I drink it, my heart beats faster and I get palpitations. I can't stand it after just a few days." "My period is missing and my hair is falling out. Who is going to regulate this kind of micro-business product?"

The nonsense is gradually confusing

The reporter searched for "slimming coffee" as a keyword on a well-known shopping platform. In less than two seconds, a variety of "slimming coffee" appeared in front of him, with various styles and prices. In particular, the "promotional slogans" on the main page of the products made people dazzled and unconsciously wanted to click in to learn more. When the reporter clicked on the links of these products and scrolled down, there were all positive reviews such as "very good for controlling appetite" and "lost 7 pounds". The monthly purchase volume of "600+" and "1000+" was like a magnet, attracting people's attention.

"In the past two years, advertisements for 'slimming coffee' have emerged one after another." Lawyer Zhao Yijie told reporters that she had seen similar cases on the Internet before. As a "legal blogger" on Weibo, she has also received many inquiries about related cases. She said that these advertisements are usually very tempting - "Drinking a cup is equivalent to five hours of exercise, metabolism takes off and lying down burns fat." Such advertisements contain false content and are easy to mislead people. Zhao Yijie pointed to the packaging of "slimming coffee" being sold on a certain platform and told reporters that the so-called false advertising refers to the content of the product promotion that does not match the actual quality of the goods or services provided. "After reading such advertisements, consumers may have wrong associations and judgments."

“Weight Loss” Coffee Is Not Simple

"In addition to the chaotic advertising, most of these so-called 'weight loss coffees' are 'three-no' products." The packaging does not contain the manufacturer, qualification certificate, ingredients and other food information.

In 2021, a brand of weight loss coffee that contained citriol was filed for investigation by the Lanzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau in accordance with the law.

Today, this brand of coffee still appears on a certain shopping platform and can be purchased by consumers.

In April this year, the People's Procuratorate of Decheng District, Dezhou City, Shandong Province, prosecuted 36 people including He and Liao for producing and selling "three-no" weight loss coffee on suspicion of producing and selling toxic and harmful food. After investigation, it was found that the suspects He and Liao bought bulk coffee online and mixed it with sibutramine, which is prohibited by the state from being added to food. They simply packaged it in a small workshop with simple conditions, fabricated the production date, and sold it through platforms such as WeChat and Xiaohongshu.

It is exaggerated under the banner of "weight loss", but in fact it contains sibutramine, a toxic and harmful non-food raw material. What is "sibutramine"? Wang Yue, a professor at Peking University, said: Sibutramine hydrochloride was originally a drug used in psychiatry and has anti-depressant effects. Later, it was found that the user would have a feeling of fullness during use. So some people thought that this drug seemed to be able to be used for weight loss. "However, it will cause irreversible and serious damage to the human cardiovascular system and central nervous system, so the State Food and Drug Administration prohibits the use of this drug."

At the same time, Zhu Hong, director of the second procuratorial department of the Decheng District Procuratorate, who handled the case, reminded consumers that sibutramine is a banned drug that is prohibited by the state from being added to food, but there are still criminals who seize the market demand for women's weight loss and add it to weight loss foods in order to seek illegal profits. When consumers buy weight loss products, they should distinguish whether they are buying health foods or medicines. If it is a medicine, it must have a "National Medicine Approval Number"; if it is a health food, the outer packaging should be printed with a "National Food and Health Approval Number".

Douyin's million-dollar blogger "Celebrity Nutritionist Xiuxian" often mentions in his fat-loss science videos: Drinking coffee will not directly make you lose a lot of weight, it can only play a diuretic and swelling-reducing role. "Having a cup of coffee before exercise can increase athletic performance and improve fat burning efficiency." In addition, drinking a cup of sugar-free American coffee can relieve hunger.

Everyone loves beauty. The reporter urges everyone to remember that health comes first while losing weight.