Health-Related Content of TV and Radio Advertising of Dietary Supplements—Analysis of Legal Aspects after Introduction of Self-Regulation for Advertising of These Products in Poland

Abstract

Dietary supplements may have beneficial value but, by definition, they have no therapeutic effect. However, their labeling and especially the advertisements in the media, often make ungrounded health claims. The aim of the study was to analyze the content of audio–visual advertisements of dietary supplements for health and legal aspects in the context of the European Law and the 1 January 2020 Polish self-regulation between TV broadcasting companies and supplement manufacturers. Supplement advertisements broadcast across six TV and radio stations from 9–15 March 2020 were analyzed. Most of the analyzed advertisements complied with the legal requirements and included terms such as ‘supports’ or ‘facilitates’ body function, which are less definite in nature. Almost 30% of the advertised supplements made unproven claims on their effectiveness in various health situations, e.g., effective weight loss, thus assuring the addressee about the beneficial effect of dietary supplements in a given health context. Agreement on the rules and regulations governing supplement advertising resulted in a noticeable improvement in advertisement content, which will hopefully raise consumer awareness about the absence of therapeutic properties of dietary supplements.