Kendrin R. Sonneville, ScD, RD, a MyVoice program co-founder, as well as associate professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health at U-M’s School of Public Health (pictured above in the navy top), recently participated in a press conference with Michigan State Rep. Erin Byrnes (D-Dearborn, pictured center in purple) who has introduced the Weight Loss Products and Minors Act. The act would prohibit the sale of certain dietary supplements and diet pills to minors.
Sonneville and Byrnes were joined by Samantha L. Hahn, Ph.D., MPH, RD, assistant professor of Population Health Research at Central Michigan University College of Medicine (to the right of Byrnes); Vivienne M. Hazzard, Ph.D., MPH, RD, assistant professor of Public Health at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (far right), and Katrina Lang (far left), an undergrad student from U-M studying cognitive science, who spoke about her own experience using pills and supplements for weight loss.
During the press conference, Sonneville cited MyVoice data from the non-Rx weight loss products question set, which was sent to 794 young people.
“We asked the teens in our study about this very legislation and over 70 percent supported restricting sales of weight loss and muscle building products to minors,” she said. “They raised concerns about harmful side effects, about the impacts on their developing bodies, and the constant pressure to meet unrealistic body standards.
Sonneville also noted that one teen told MyVoice researchers that people their age are obsessed with their weight and will do anything they can to be skinny. Another said (weight loss pills and supplements) should not be legal for minors because minors are more influenced by marketing.
“These are not isolated opinions,” Sonneville said. “They reflect the daily reality for far too many young people. Teens struggling with body image are especially vulnerable to deceptive marketing, and they are asking us to protect them from predatory industries that profit from their insecurities. This legislation is a pragmatic, cost effective step to safeguard young people’s well-being and affirm that their safety comes before profit.”
The legislation, if passed, would authorize the Board of Pharmacy, within Michigan’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), to establish a list of restricted dietary supplements based on several factors. It would also prohibit minors from purchasing these products, either in stores or online, and would require ID verification upon purchase.
Many young people have turned to weight loss supplements in the pursuit of unrealistic body standards, without understanding the risks involved. Studies have found that many protein powders and shakes contain dangerous levels of lead. Byrnes and Sonneville were joined by Hahn and Hazzard, who stated that these supplements are dangerously under-regulated and often untested for safety in minors, but still aggressively marketed.
Byrnes asserts that Michigan’s current regulatory framework for weight loss drugs has not caught up with the modern reality of these supplements. The widespread availability of these substances has made them more socially acceptable, but not safer.
“Diet pills are not something children need, and marketing them to minors is simply wrong,” Byrnes said in a press release. “These products can be dangerous, come with serious side effects, and minors who use them are far more likely to develop body image issues, dysmorphia or eating disorders later in life.”
Above photo courtesy of State Rep. Byrnes’ office.