Educating Steve (It’s a Woman Thing, But Can He Understand?)

Posted By elissa on Feb 4, 2009 | 1 comment

Oh Good Lord…

When it comes to supps and functional foods, I try to keep an eye on the industry side of things, as well as the consumer side.  So, I get trade publications and newsletters dropped in my inbox on a regular basis.  That way, I get the latest news on ingredients and marketing trends.  It’s interesting stuff…to me, at any rate.

So yesterday, I tuned in to the latest from “Natural Products Insider”…and saw red…

Educating Female Shoppers About Immunity & Detox (It’s a Woman Thing … But Do They Understand?)

Helping female shoppers grasp the connection between detoxification and immune health.

by Steve French, Managing Partner
01/30/2009

Whoa…talk about a patronizing title!  And the rest of the article wasn’t much better.

With their increasingly demanding lifestyles, women today simply can’t afford to get sick. Yet, seemingly unbeknownst to many women, poor diet, stress, aging and environmental pollutants are a few of the many factors fighting against them, impairing their immune system and causing inflammation, one of the leading causes of poor health.

Oh, I dunno about that Steve.  I think women are smart enough to make the connection between poor diet/stress/aging and poor health.  We don’t need your help on that one.

In addition, it seems to me this is really a “people problem” – not a “women’s problem.”  Last I heard, men may also have “demanding lifestyles” and “can’t afford to get sick.”  So is Steve suggesting we’re more fragile or susceptible than men? 

Or  more suggestible, perhaps… 🙁

While more women are getting the message about the importance of detoxification in boosting immunity and thereby reducing inflammation, gaps still exist. More than three-quarters (82 percent) of women are aware of the term “detoxification,” up from about two-thirds (69 percent) in 2002. However, only four in 10 women look for ways to detoxify their body to improve their overall health. While the desire to detoxify the body spans a woman’s lifetime, the youngest generation, Gen Y, shows higher inclination to search for ways to do so.

…Two lifestyle factors—lack of sleep and stress—play a large role in diminished immunity. While women may report low immune problems, they are far more likely to understand the effects of these two factors on inflammation within the body and, more importantly, on their overall health. Approximately one-third of women feel the amount of stress in their life and their lack of sleep is causing increased inflammation in their body.

Ummm…Steve, honey?  How about some medical data here?  So some women (responding to a leading survey question) “feel” that stress/lack of sleep is causing increased inflammation? How does that “feeling” correlate to actual clinical measures of inflammation?   

He doesn’t even explain what he means by the term, “detoxification,”  for crying out loud, let alone how it relates to inflammation or improved immunity.

And don’t you think that maybe the best cure for “stress” and “lack of sleep” might be “relaxation” and “more sleep” vs. detox products?

Just askin’…

As the article proceeds, it’s clear Steve thinks highly of probiotics.  Ok, so do I.  And certainly, probiotics can do good things for gut health and immunity.  But I’m still fuzzy on the “detoxification” claim here…where’s the data that shows probiotic supplements will help mitigate  the effects of  “…poor diet, stress, aging and environmental pollutants” that were cited at the beginning of his spiel?

But, of course, it’s the closing para that gives the game away:

Immune health, vitality positioning, detoxification and anti-inflammation are fast-emerging as key drivers in the health and wellness marketplace prompting the rise of targeted functional and fortified foods, “detoxifying” spa programs, heavy metal, liver and kidney cleanses, and dietary supplement regimens to address these issues. Major companies channeling resources and efforts into this area can be proactive in meeting these new health challenges.

In other words, we credulous wimmins needs us some heavy duty edjumacation on “detoxification” so the industry can sell us “…spa programs, heavy metal, liver and kidney cleanses and dietary supplement regimes” – most of which will be based on some pretty dubious science…if any real science at all.

In other words, “women” = “suckers”.

Thanks for nothing Steve… As a woman, I’m more than a little tired of being talked down to by marketers like you.   You’re the one who needs an education – not us.  Feel free to take your little article, fold it ’till it’s all corners, and stick it where the sun don’t shine.