On FACEBOOK I recently found this advertisement posted by ‘LifeCell Health’
Guys, weight loss starts at our gut. The reishi mushroom targets this key area of the body and promotes weight loss in a unique way, by changing our gut bacteria to digest food in a manner that improves weight loss and can even prevent weight gain. By combining 3 of the most researched mycological species on the planet, LifeCell Myco+ delivers a blend of weight loss mushrooms like no other: Improve gut health, speed up weight loss, enhance immune function, natural energy and more with our blend of Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Shiitake mushrooms. Each mushroom has been the subject of several in-vivo studies proving their efficacy when it comes to weight loss.
Why Mushrooms Work.
Reishi: Prevents weight gain by altering bacteria inside the digestive system
Shiitake: Helps the body develop less fat by nourishing good gut bacteria.
Turkey Tail: Reduces inflammation and helps prevent weight gain.
That sounded interesting, I thought, and I investigated a bit further. On the website of the firm, I found this text:
By combining 3 of the most researched mycological species on the planet, LifeCell Myco+ delivers an organic wellness formula unlike any other. Improve gut health, speed up weight loss, enhance immune function, natural energy and more with our blend of Reishi, Turkey Tail, and Shiitake mushrooms.
Keeping a healthy balance of beneficial bacteria in your gut is critical for maintaining a strong immune system. Your gut bacteria interact with immune cells and directly impact your immune response. Turkey tail mushrooms contain prebiotics, which help nourish these helpful bacteria. An 8-week study in 24 healthy people found that consuming 3,600 mg of PSP extracted from turkey tail mushrooms per day led to beneficial changes in gut bacteria and suppressed the growth of the possibly problematic E. coli and Shigella bacteria.
Next, I conducted a few Medline searches but was unable to find any trial data suggesting that any of the three mushrooms or their combination might reduce body weight. So, I wrote to the company:
Dear Madam/Sir
I am intrigued by your product MYCO +. Would you be kind enough to send me the studies showing that it can reduce body weight?
Many thanks
Edzard Ernst
What followed was a bizarre correspondence with several layers of administrators in the firm. They all said that I should discuss this with the next higher person. So, I asked myself up the hierarchy of LiveCell. The last email I received was this one:
Good morning Edzark,
Thank you for your email and I hope you are enjoying your day.
It is great to hear that you are interested in our LifeCell Myco. I have forwarded your request for additional information and once received I will be sure to forward the information to you.
What do I conclude from this experience?
Apart from being unable to get my name right, the people responsible at ‘LifeCell Health’ seem also not able to send me the evidence I asked for. This, I fear, means that there is no such evidence which means the claims are unsubstantiated. Scientifically, this might amount to misconduct; legally, it could be fraudulent.
But I am, of course, no lawyer and therefore leave it to others to address the legal issues.
PS
If anyone happens to know of some evidence, please let me know and I will correct my post accordingly.
This certainly doesn’t look good:
https://www.productreview.com.au/listings/lifecell-south-beach-skincare?rating=1
And here’s some information about the person behind this company: https://www.sandiegocan.org/2020/04/06/scam-alert-south-beach-skinlab-preposterously-priced-products/
It would appear that this ‘Dr.’ Ryan Shelton is a naturopath who illegally uses the title of M.D..
Why am I not surprised?
how interesting!
thanks for letting us know.
Reminiscent of the infamous 1980s UK marketing of Bai Lin Tea – “Bye bye fat – buy Bai Lin!”. It was in all the ‘health’ shops and achieved some media coverage. But fairly quickly it totally disappeared when marketing claims were proven to be unsubstantiated.
I had never heard of ‘Turkey Tail Mushrooms” and did a quick google. It seems to be taking the “medical” world by storm. Oh, and in the first article I looked at there was the reassuring news that it was in use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
When I finally scrolled down to a wiki, I realized it was something one finds on lots of trees around here. Maybe I should go pick some?
BTW isn’t “Edzark” that cousin no one talks about?
Edzark is the American cousin in Oklahoma who went up into the Ozark mountains in the sixties as a Hippie and has stayed up there ever since, only occasionally venturing down into town to trade his home made herbal remedies.
yeah, that sounds exactly like me!
Beyond the humour is the unfortunate fact that people tend to want things that won’t work. I honestly don’t know of any skin age prevention treatment apart from not smoking and not sun bathing, at least which has an evidence base. There is sadly little likelihood that people will pay attention to evidence based medicine any time soon.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4557287/
Ganoderma Lucidum common names are Lingzhi or aka known as Reishi mushrooms.
Many thanks for the link to: Ganoderma lucidum reduces obesity in mice by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota.
Next time I’m inundated with obese mice, I shall put them on a Ganoderma lucidum diet then use regular spring-based mousetraps, which are so much quieter than the large-rodent spring traps I’d been using.
@ Pete Atkins
Mice specimens seemed to be a sufficient means of “testing” the Pfizer Bivalent Ba.5 Booster vaccine, intended for millions of people.
thanks for another BS comment!
@ RG
Hominid specimens seemed to be a sufficient means of “testing” Booster rockets, intended for millions of mice in their eventual migration to the Moon, which is made of cheese.
But, RG, we digress: neither this comment nor yours has anything whatsoever to do with the article on which we are commenting.
RG a.k.a Hannah,
I didn’t think I would say this. But you are absolutely right! Pfizer Bivalent Ba.5 Booster vaccine is not tested on humans! Scandalous!!
https://www.cnbc.com/2022/08/31/cdc-director-walensky-why-us-is-fast-tracking-omicron-specific-booster-shots.html
https://www.healthline.com/health-news/pfizer-says-covid19-bivalent-booster-significantly-increase-antibodies-fight-omicron#New-bivalent-boosters-found-safe-
The experts say they based their decision to fast track on “totality of available evidence” and to avoid “severe consequences for the nation” ahead of a fall surge. Who knows what the heck that means.
Perhaps these experts know more than a random anti-vaxxer who keeps posting with different names and responding to them with off-topic comments?
@EE
Meaning what, you don’t like my comment, or I’m wrong ?