Gillian McKeith diet aid criticised

Effectiveness of the health guru's new Slimmer's Formula questioned

Gillian McKeith - Health News - Marie Claire
Gillian McKeith - Health News - Marie Claire
(Image credit: Rex Features)

Effectiveness of the health guru's new Slimmer's Formula questioned

Gillian McKeith, the health guru, has launched a new weight loss formula that she claims can help you to lose inches while you sleep. But experts and consumer groups have questioned its effectiveness.

The presenter of You Are What You Eat has leant her name to the Gillian McKeith Cellfood Slimmer's Formula, £29.99, which, according to promotional material, 'combines natural ingredients that decrease fat storage and increase the body's metabolic rate to burn more calories'.

Users are told to not eat for three hours before taking it, and that it will 'help you lose inches from areas of your body with the most excess fat. Best of all it works naturally while you sleep'.

But experts question the science behind the product. 'There is no magic pill, powder, potion, formula, supplement or anything else that is going to make you magically lose weight overnight and keep it off,' NHS nutrition expert Lucy Jones told the Scotsman.

'Because Gillian McKeith is such a high-profile figure people are going to feel there is a level of trust they can take from that.

'But unfortunately the hard scientific evidence just isn't there to back it up.'

Which?, the independent consumer organisation, has investigated products with similar ingredients. A spokesman told the Scotsman, 'We advise against using any over-the-counter weight-loss supplements. Our experts question their effectiveness, they can be expensive and can also have side effects.'

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