Diet Lebanon

"Lisa was recently offered $30 to take part in a late-night, low-budget infomercial to say she had lost weight by taking the herbal supplement jojoba. Despite never having taken the supplement, Lisa was approached by the advertisers because she had an American accent that they thought would sound authoritative. She declined the offer.

With Lebanon facing a – literally – growing obesity problem that is being nourished by sedentary lifestyles and a proliferation of fatty fast food, having such advertisements promote misleading information to Lebanese who are eager to lose weight is problematic, and even dangerous, given the health risks associated with being overweight and taking pills without a doctor’s approval. With the diet industry in Lebanon expanding in tandem with waist sizes, aspects of it remain largely unregulated — raising the eyebrows of health professionals in the country."

Article by Megan Bainbridge