Fake AI Videos Promote Weight-Loss Drops as Experts Warn Public
Dr. Maya Rosman warns the public against fraudulent deepfake ads promoting weight-loss drops. Experts explain how the body processes fat and evaluate dietary supplements.
A new wave of deepfake videos is circulating online, featuring an AI-generated digital replica of Dr. Maya Rosman promoting "magic drops" designed to melt fat and induce rapid weight loss without dieting.
Dr. Rosman issued a strong public warning, clarifying that she has no connection to these advertisements, does not sell weight-loss supplements or drops, and never authorized her likeness to be used for such promotions. She urged the public to exercise caution and avoid sharing credit card details on fraudulent websites impersonating her.
How the Body Processes Fat
To understand why effortless fat-burning drops are scientifically implausible, it is essential to look at how the human body metabolizes fat. The body constantly balances fat storage and fat breakdown. Fat is primarily stored in adipose tissue to serve as an energy reserve. Between meals, overnight, or during physical activity, the body breaks down stored fat into fatty acids to generate energy while simultaneously storing new fat.
Merely breaking down fat during the day does not automatically lead to weight loss, as even individuals who gain weight constantly break down fat at various hours. For fat reserves to shrink over time, the body must maintain a persistent energy deficit, consuming fewer calories than it expends.
Where Does Fat Go When We Lose Weight?
When fatty acids are oxidized for energy, they are converted into carbon dioxide and water. The vast majority of lost fat mass leaves the body through the lungs as exhaled carbon dioxide, while the remainder is excreted through water in urine, sweat, and breath.
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) calculated that when a person loses 10 kilograms of fat, approximately 8.4 kilograms exit through the respiratory system as carbon dioxide. However, breathing deeply or rapidly will not induce weight loss; the body must first metabolize the fat and utilize it for energy.
Do Dietary Supplements Accelerate Fat Loss?
Advertisements for weight-loss supplements frequently highlight ingredients such as caffeine, green tea extract, and various fruit or plant derivatives. While caffeine can temporarily elevate energy expenditure, this short-term effect does not translate into meaningful weight reduction. Similarly, green tea extracts typically produce minimal effects on overall weight.
Fraudulent ads utilizing Dr. Rosman's likeness also reference grape seed and pomegranate extracts. The mere presence of these ingredients is no proof of fat-reducing properties. Furthermore, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has frequently detected undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients in commercial weight-loss products.
Aesthetic Treatments and Medical Weight Loss
Aesthetic procedures targeting localized fat serve an entirely different purpose: body contouring rather than treating systemic obesity. Cryolipolysis (controlled cooling) damages fat cells in a targeted area, which the body gradually eliminates over subsequent weeks and months, reducing localized bulges. Other devices use heat, and localized injections such as deoxycholic acid are approved in the United States strictly for reducing submental fat beneath the chin, rather than widespread body fat.
These treatments carry risks, including rare instances of paradoxical adipose hyperplasia, where fat tissue enlarges in the treated area instead of shrinking, sometimes requiring surgical correction.
Meanwhile, modern anti-obesity medications such as semaglutide and tirzepatide target hormonal pathways regulating appetite and satiety. Clinical trials demonstrated significant reductions in total body weight, emphasizing that long-term medical guidance and lifestyle modifications remain crucial for sustained results, as patients often regain weight upon discontinuing medication.
