Edmonton obesity doctor, Dr. Arya Sharma said Tuesday that weight-loss products often promise quick results but don't usually deliver.
"You're spending a lot of money on products for which there's very little evidence they work on everybody," said Dr. Sharma.
In an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Dr. Sharma is calling on the government to crack down on the weight-loss industry.
He said consumers need more information on whether these products really work.
"Looking carefully at some of these products and making sure the products are not making claims that are not based on scientific evidence," he said.
One retailer admits some of the weight-loss products at his store aren't the magic pill many proclaim they are, but he said it all boils down to buyer beware.
"I will promote diet. I will promote the information aspect of things," said Rock Aubin, The Vitamin Guy. " I will have them because they work, they do work but they don't necessarily work the way people think they will work."
Dr. Sharma said it's time the government treated obesity rates in Canada as a public health hazard.
One way of doing that, he said, is by handing out penalties to companies for making faulty claims and he thinks more support is needed in weight loss clinics, where people are offered counselling, and nutritional advice.
With files from Laura Tupper
