Joe Rogan-promoted health supplement Alpha Brain faces lawsuit alleging pills are based on 'false' studies
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Popular podcaster and influencer Joe Rogan-promoted brain health supplement brand finds itself accused of selling pills that are based on 'false' and 'deceptive' studies.
Recently, a New York customer filed a lawsuit against the supplement called Alpha Brain, accusing the pharma company Onnit of making the pills based on unproven science.
Joe Rogan promoted pill on his podcast
Though it is not exactly clear how Rogan is involved with the company, it is said he was associated with the company in the early days of its development.
Rogan, who is an influential podcast host and influencer with 14.5 million subscribers to his podcast, has often talked about the positive sides of the supplement in his podcast.
The pharma company Onnit - founded by health guru Aubrey Marcus - brought out Alpha Brain in 2010 as a nootropic aimed to boost brain function. Per Daily Mail, Onnit claims it “supports memory” and “promotes focus” to help one feel “in the zone.”
The company further shared that the claims are supported by a 2016 study funded by the company. The study allegedly found out that the supplements “significantly improve” performance on memory tests.
The lawsuit, however, calls out the claims and said the trial cited in the study was in fact “flawed” and the clinical study does not show any significant improvement.
The suit was filed by a man named Jean Paul Lotz, who claimed to have spent around $400 on five bottles of Alpha Brain in 2021. Each bottle retails at about $80.
While it’s not known what is Rogan’s role in Onnit, in some videos, he is credited as a founder of the company, while in others, as a collaborator in making Alpha Brain.
In 2014, in a Q&A posted by Onnit, Marcus said he consulted with Rogan in the early days of the development.
Moreover, in a 2022 advertisement, a clip from Rogan’s podcast was posted on YouTube where the podcast host was saying, “Aubrey and I started Onnit.”
In another video, former Chief Marketing Officer of Onnit, Mike Spadier shared that Rogan “helped develop the original formula for Alpha Brain,” and that “early on in their discussions, Aubrey agreed to make Mr Rogan a partner.”
It is probable that when Onnit was acquired by Unilever in 2021, Rogan received a portion of the shares.
Previously, in such cases if the companies have been found liable and promoting their products under false claims, they have often ended up shelling out millions in damages.
Alpha Brain gets criticized by expert
While a customer brought a lawsuit against the company, the doctors are also not convinced of the supplement’s efficacy.
Dr Victor Henderson, a professor of neurology at Stanford University, told DailyMail, “I think for this product and others like it, the evidence is not strong. So save your money. Do something more useful with it.”
He added that at this point most of the nootropic claims only work “theoretically,” before adding,
“I think a lot of people have tried [studies] and the evidence behind a lot of it is not very good.”
He further said that one might drink a cup of coffee to get a caffeine boost rather than relying on the product promoted by Rogan.
