Kim Constable, aka the Sculpted Vegan

As TINA.org noted in a 2018 blog (and several times since then), “When it comes to testimonials, the truth will not always set marketers free.” That’s because testimonials are anecdotal and, even if true, only reflect the experience of a single user. Another word for them is unreliable, which makes them a poor choice for substantiating advertising claims.

Which leads us to Kim Constable, aka the Sculpted Vegan, who boasts in her Instagram bio to be the founder of the largest online vegan bodybuilding company in the world.

On her website Constable claimed that she had “hacked the precise science of fitness for menopausal women” with a diet and fitness plan called the Menopause Shred. But instead of relying on competent and reliable scientific evidence to back up claims that the program not only enables users to “drop up to 40 pounds of fat in just 12 weeks” but also “reduce hot flashes by 50%,” Constable leaned on “hundreds of unsolicited and voluntarily supplied testimonials,” according to an inquiry by the Advertising Standards Authority, the U.K.’s ad regulator.

Given the objective nature of the claims, we expected to see robust evidence to substantiate them, most likely consisting of rigorous trials on menopausal women. We acknowledged the testimonial evidence submitted, but considered it did not constitute sufficient evidence to substantiate the claims.

In fact, not only were rigorous trials on menopausal women nowhere to be found, the Menopause Shred shared the same nutrition principles and exercise plan as another diet and fitness program called the 4-Hour Body, which was not created exclusively for menopausal women, the ASA found.

The ASA ruled that the claims at issue breached its advertising code and said they must not appear again in their current form. The ASA also told Constable not to make claims that discourage women from seeking medical treatment for menopause.

Find more of our coverage on advertising claims aimed at women experiencing menopause here.