Promoter who touted weight loss benefits of green coffee beans settles with FTC
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A promoter who claimed green coffee beans help weight loss has agreed to pay $9 million in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
The promoter, Lindsey Duncan, claimed that people who used the coffee bean extract could lose 17 pounds in 12 weeks without eating less or exercising more, according to an FTC press release and stories by Reuters and Courthouse News Service.
Duncan, who describes himself as a celebrity nutritionist, was approached to talk about the benefits of green coffee beans on the Dr. Oz Show in 2012, the FTC alleged (PDF). Duncan accepted the engagement and, before his appearance, arranged for his company Pure Health to sell the supplement, the FTC says. Duncan did not disclose his relationship to the company.
The settlement calls for Duncan and the companies he controls to stop making deceptive weight-loss claims, and requires payment of $9 million for refunds.
