![]() However, if you're losing weight involuntarily and don't carry excess weight in the first place, or if you can't take in adequate nutrition, you might benefit from nutritional supplements. There's absolutely no evidence that these supplements improve health or prevent disease in people who have no specific nutritional problems, as my colleague Suzanne Salamon, MD, notes. The vast majority of people can get all the nutrition they need from their diet. Who benefits? Some people are far more likely than others to benefit from Ensure, Boost, or similar products.In addition, there are different versions of these products for people with diabetes or other health problems.īut these ads are missing important information. People who don't get enough calories, protein, or certain minerals or vitamins could make up for what's missing by consuming these drinks. The information provided in these ads and on their websites is generally accurate. The Ensure commercial, meanwhile, suggests that while exercise might be a chore, at least your nutrition will be covered by this high-protein supplement drink. ![]() The Boost commercial seems to target older people, implying that downing bottles of Boost regularly can help you keep up with the young folks and maintain an active, healthy, and working life well into advanced age. You can "boost" your health and "ensure" you're getting all the nutrition you need by consuming these drinks. The suggestion is clear: to be healthy, you need to be drinking these supplements. Ensure Max Protein." What the ads suggest Meanwhile, the banana falls backwards, failing to complete even a single sit-up.Ī voiceover breaks in: "30 grams of protein, and 1 gram of sugar. Two bottles of Ensure high-five each other. "Keep it up, you'll get there," Ensure Max barks. "I'm trying!" says the banana, as it rocks back and forth on its back. So adorable! An egg looks off camera and exclaims, "Wow!" A bottle of Ensure Original explains what the egg is admiring: "That's Ensure Max Protein with high protein and 1 gram of sugar." Shift to a towering bottle of Ensure Max, complete with bulging biceps, sounding like a drill sergeant shouting orders at the banana: "It's a sit-up, banana, bend at the waist." Here we have animated food characters - an egg, a pear, a carrot, and some broccoli - hanging out together in the fridge. Boost - be up for life."Įnsure's 15-second ad takes a very different tack. With 27 vitamins and minerals and 10 grams of protein. And now try peaches and cream natural flavor. Then comes the big finish and trademarked tagline: "All with guaranteed great taste. "Boost high-protein nutritional drink has 20 grams of protein, along with 26 essential vitamins and minerals your body needs." A graphic of a human body with a list of eight of these vitamins and minerals is displayed: calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and potassium. So I add protein, vitamins, and minerals to my diet - with Boost."Īs she happily sips her chocolate drink, a voiceover tells you more. But what I do count on is staying happy and healthy. As she takes photos of a young, hipster musical group, she tells the viewer, "I don't keep track of regrets. One 30-second ad for Boost shows a well-appearing older woman holding a camera (a real, two-handed, professional photographer's camera, not a cell phone). ![]() Right now, two ads in heavy rotation are for Boost and Ensure. When you watch ads for nutritional drinks, do you wonder if you should start drinking them? Will it improve your health or fend off future health problems, as the ads suggest? Are there any downsides? Read on. In 2019, Ensure sales alone totaled nearly $400 million. The market for nutritional drinks is now worth many billions of dollars. Their widespread, primetime advertising aimed at a much broader audience has proven highly effective. Since then, nutritional supplement drinks like Boost and Ensure have gone mainstream. They were recommended for people struggling to maintain a healthy weight, often due to loss of appetite, cancer, or swallowing problems. I first heard of nutritional drinks in the 1980s, early in my medical training.
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