[Economy 365]

While the market for weight-loss dietary supplements has expanded due to the dieting craze, reports of side effects and consumer damages are also on the rise.

Over the past five years, a total of 2,375 reports of adverse reactions to body fat reduction supplements have been filed. The number of reports has surged from 217 in 2023 to 717 in 2024, and 920 last year.

Last year, the highest number of reports came from those aged 60 and older, totaling 279 cases, which is more than a three-fold increase from the previous year.

The Korea Consumer Agency has received reports of various issues, including cases where businesses became unreachable after consumers purchased products through social media advertisements, products advertised as containing Wegovy ingredients that were not listed on the actual ingredient labels, and companies refusing to provide full refunds despite promising "full refunds if ineffective."

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety advised that since dietary supplements are not pharmaceutical drugs, consumers should be cautious of exaggerated advertisements and stop intake if any adverse symptoms occur.

*This article was produced using AI audio.