Battle over children's obesity pills begins...

Supplement company Basic Research, which makes the PediaLean weight loss formula for children and runs a supporting website, said this week it is considering legal options to counter the 'outrageous' claims made by controversial nutritionist Edita Kaye about her 'Skinny Pill for Kids'.

Florida-based Kaye, who calls herself 'America's favorite nutritionist' officially launched the "Skinny Pill for Kids" last week​, following apparent success with the Skinny Pill for adults.

"On her website​ Kaye claims that her 'Skinny Pill for Kids' is a 'safe, effective weight loss formula for children ages 6 -12',"​ explained D. Daniel Mowrey, director of Scientific Affairs for Klein-Becker, PediaLean's North American distributor.

"However, a review of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) database (PubMed) reveals not one single published clinical trial that has been conducted with anything called the 'Skinny Pill for Kids' or the combination and amount of active ingredients that make up the formula related to weight loss in children ages 6 to 12."​

Dennis Gay, president of Basic Research, added: "As Americans become more aware of the obesity epidemic plaguing our children, it's to be expected that diet pills and weight loss plans aimed at overweight children will begin to enter the market. But those who offer pills, products and diets lacking any scientific substantiation to guarantee safety and effectiveness may be doing more harm than good - confusing parents with sales jargon and false promises, while, in my opinion, potentially compromising the credibility of effective compounds that have been clinically shown to help children lose weight."​

Basic Research​ is clearly concerned by the competition Kaye's pill poses to its own formula. The company said it developed its PediaLean formula with leading pediatric obesity specialists and tested the formula on children. It claims that no other weight-loss product for children has clinical trials or such an extensive online support program (found on the www.WeightLossForChildren.com​ website.

"This 'Skinny Pill for Kids' product contains, among other things, herbal diuretics (Uva Ursi and Juniper Berry), which could be problematic for some children,"​ explained Dr Nathalie Chevreau, director of www.WeightLossForChildren.com . "In my opinion, the unregulated use of diuretics for children and the cavalier way in which so-called natural herbs are being offered to overweight kids is not in the best interest of children or their parents."​

Kaye's claims that her 'Skinny Pill' is the first supplement to reduce obesity problems, clearly counter similar ones made by Basic Research which says its formula "remains the first and only natural formula supported by a peer-reviewed, published weight loss study involving children, not adults."​

Gay added: "We've spent an enormous amount of time and money developing a comprehensive solution for overweight children and their parents - starting in 2001 with PediaLean and building an exclusive online dietary plan that is calculated to match a child's age, weight, sex, and activity level. Suggesting, as Ms. Kaye does, that a single 'quick start' diet can work for all children ages 6 to 12 is, I have been advised, ludicrous. In response to recent developments, I am consulting with our legal team and scientific staff to determine what actions can or should be taken."​