Reading my FT magazine on the stepper at t'gym, I finally looked at (having probably seen many times) a full page advert for "Neurozan" capsules." These wonderful products are sold by "Vitabiotics", "supporting the brain's neuro-chemistry through optimum micro-nutrition."
And of course, it's like motherhood and apple-pie- it's very hard to argue AGAINST eating a broad balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruit and veg. And why would you? But that's not quite what they're saying. They're saying these pills will "keep you at your razor sharp best." They're appealing to the classic middle-class/knowledge workers fear of losing their Edge.
The worried well is a nice market, especially in a credit crunch.
We get angry when states and corporations dress up their plans (GM, Nuclear) as value-free/hard "science", but we seem to give gentler/individual focussed 'solutions' a free pass.
So I googled, and sure enough, there's a de-bunking website "Holfordwatch" I advise you have a good read of before you go buying any of these capusles, which are available on the high street..
See also:
Ben Goldacre's astonishingly good Bad Science
a book by Kimberly Lau called New Age Capitalism
this about Matey Capitalism and the Appliance of Science
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