Pseudoscientific Claim Examples

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Pseudoscientific Claim There are many companies and individuals that make pseudoscientific claims. A pseudoscientific claim is when a company or individual makes a claim, belief, or practice and presents it as scientific, but which does not adhere to the scientific method. A good example of a pseudoscientific claim is when a company states that taking their product results in rapid weight loss or rapid muscle gain. The pseudoscientific claim that will be discussed is a claim made by Applied Nutritional Research, a company based out of Colorado, which claims that it is a distributor of nutritional health products. Applied Nutritional Research (ANA) claims that they have created a product which boosts the gain of muscle by around 600% within 7 weeks. The product is named C9-T11, which stands for cis-9, trans-11 conjugated linoleic acid. ANA claims that C9-T11 synthesizes muscle from fat …show more content…

According to Lilienfeld and Landfield (2008) the most notable indications of a pseudoscientific claim are, “evasion of peer review, over reliance on testimonial and anecdotal evidence, and extravagant claims” (p. 1218). ANA’s claims, regarding C9-T11, contains the top three indicators of a false pseudoscientific claim. Firstly, ANA cites numerous research articles that apparently support their claims of improved muscle gain; however, there are no links to the actual publications. Secondly, ANA claims that C9-T11 causes 600% muscle gain in 6 weeks, which is impossible from my own experience because I have been working out for over 3 years.Thirdly, ANA uses plenty of testimonial’s in an attempt to prove it’s point. In conclusion, ANA could fool the average person that C9-T11 is a substance that boosts muscle growth; however, if the person has ever stepped foot in a gym or studied science, he or she would not be fooled due the numerous indicators that ANA’s claims are

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