Algal-900 DHA

CVS claims that its Algal-900 DHA dietary supplement is “clinically shown” to improve memory and on the back of the product’s label points to a “clinical study” that puts to rest any remaining doubts. Or so the retailer might have hoped.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has filed a class-action lawsuit against CVS in which it takes aim at the study that the pharmacy uses to prop up its supplement (one of the claims on the label is that it showed that algal DHA could improve memory “like it was 7 years younger”). The nonprofit said the study had previously been “discredited” by the FTC:

That study, known as the MIDAS study, was funded and conducted by Martek Biosciences Corporation for the purposes of promoting its own algae-based DHA supplement. But the FTC determined that the study does “not reveal any improvement in working memory” and banned Martek from basing any memory claims on it.

Furthermore, CSPI said high-quality clinical studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids like DHA work no better than a placebo at improving cognitive function.

Find more of TINA.org’s continuing coverage on claims to improve memory here.