Drink your vitaminwater, skip your flu shot?

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Deborah Kotz February 2, 2011 06:05 PM

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If you consume a beverage called vitaminwater, can you skip your annual flu shot? That's what an ad for the beverage implies, and one consumer group is crying foul.

The National Consumers League, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Washington, DC, would like glaceau -- the manufacturer of vitaminwater, which shuns capital letters -- to cease and desist with the ads. The group filed a complaint today with the Federal Trade Commission calling the ads "dangerously misleading."

The consumer group objects to a poster ad for vitaminwater that reads, "Flu shots are so last year" and shows three varieties of vitaminwater with the banners "more vitamin c, more immunity."

The group would also like to see a TV commercial for vitaminwater power-c pulled. It depicts a woman who has so many unused sick days at work that she can take them to stay home and watch movies with her boyfriend.

The actress in the commercial proclaims, "One of my secrets? vitaminwater power-c. It's got vitamin C and zinc to help support a healthy immune system. So I can stay home with my boyfriend who's also playing hooky."

There's no scientific evidence to suggest that vitamin C and zinc will protect you from the flu and keep you from ever getting sick.

A glaceau spokesperson said via e-mail that the company stands by its ad campaign, adding that "vitaminwater has always had a fun, humorous, and engaging personality -- and our ads reflect that."

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about the blog

Daily Dose gives you the latest consumer health news and advice from Boston-area experts. Deborah Kotz is a former reporter for US News and World Report. Write her at dailydose@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @debkotz2.

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