Just because an athlete promotes it doesn’t mean you should take it. Many claims in TV drug ads are false or misleading, says new research from Dartmouth College.
In the study, researchers found one in 10 claims were blatantly untrue, and half were exaggerated or left out important information. Also, more than 25 percent were either opinions (someone saying “the drug worked for me”) or based on lifestyle associations, like seeing fit people or a couple romantically strolling the shoreline.
Why that matters: You could see up to 30 hours of drug ads on TV in a year, which could influence health-related decisions. “We’re left to infer that if the drug worked for someone else, it should work for me, too,” says study author Adrienne Faerber. In reality, you should be choosing drugs based on what could work for you, not by meaningless associations with a lifestyle, Faerber says.
Sure, TV ads can inform you about drugs you didn’t know existed for a condition you may have. But don’t always believe what you see on TV. If you see something you think could work, make sure to chat with your doc or a pharmacist who knows your health history about whether it could be right for you, Dr. Faerber says.
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