Quackbase!

Claim number: 73

Claimant: Nativa

Claim date: June 1, 2012

Brand name: RadiCAL

Forum in which the claim was made: Advert in Juice (Mango Airlines magazine)

Claim methodology: Vitamins

Frequency with which the claim is made by this claimant: Once off

Actual claim: Boosts Immune system

Plausibility of this claim: Untested

Summary

Nativa claims that their product, RadiCAL, is good for bones, boosts the immune system, counters opportunistic infections and gives additional energy

Description

The advert also claims that "RadiCAL employs a unique nanotech Bio-Absorption-System (Noc-CaFA600), a micro designed delivery and uptake complex, to improve the absorption of Calcium."

There are two reasons to be sceptical of the above statement:

1. The advert provides an example of an often-used deceptive technique: using scientific jargon to create the illusion of authority and/or a well-researched product. Another way of writing the above claim is this: "There's something different in our product which gets more calcium into your body." The list of ingredients in the product includes Noc-CaFA600. What is that? We don't know. There is no public information on it. We searched it using Google on 17 June 2012 and the only English speaking sites that mention it are linked to the sale of Nativa's product. If it was an important scientific or technological breakthrough, you would expect it to have a listing in a scientific journal and on websites unrelated to Nativa.


2. Whatever technology Nativa uses for this product, there is no published study showing that it improves calcium absorption or that this would be good for you.