# American Parasite? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 19, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225 "2014-01-19T21:31:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/1 "2014-01-19T21:31:21Z")
As I settled into YouTube the other night, I was hit with an advertisement wanting me to go to a website to learn more about the American Parasite. I am even seeing ads now for the same thing. Apparently it affects 250 million Americans, takes control of your body, and the commercial seems to imply corporate food types deliberately introduce this parasite into their food to get you to eat more Twinkies and avoid fruits and vegetables. I was going to post this as a GQ, but there are several indicators to me (ads from a supplement company, infects damn near everybody, evil industrial food complex) that this is more scare than actual science. Is the American Parasite a for real issue or just a marketing plan? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/2 "2014-01-19T21:40:41Z")
[Here is the lowdown from truthinadvertising.org](https://www.truthinadvertising.org/250m-americans-infected-american-parasite/). Basically, what they are panicked about is candida, commonly called yeast infection. > [@](#): > > So these ads are really pitches for Keybiotics, a line of probiotic supplements from Whole Body Research priced at $39.99 a bottle, that it claims will help you with all the problems associated with a high-sugar diet. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/3 "2014-01-19T22:48:13Z")
I’m glad that it knows what true patriotism is; it’s too discerning to infect lowly Canadians. They need to hire someone to spread their message better. A true entertainer. A singer. A real thrush. So are your chances getting some candida higher in the last light of Durin’s day? ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/4 "2014-01-19T22:50:01Z")
…Really? _Really?_ OP, you _really_ didn’t know better? :rolleyes: Come on, literally every single thing about this screams “HOAX” from the rooftops with the loudest humanly possible megaphone. And you don’t even offer a source? Time to recalibrate your bullshit filter, it’s clearly more broken than Akuma. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/5 "2014-01-19T22:53:49Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’m glad that it knows what true patriotism is; it’s too discerning to infect lowly Canadians. **They need to hire someone to spread their message better. A true entertainer. A singer.** A real thrush. > > So are your chances getting some candida higher in the last light of Durin’s day? You mean like [Tony Orlando and Dawn](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WROdwlk9_h8)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/6 "2014-01-19T23:03:01Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > …Really? _Really?_ OP, you _really_ didn’t know better? :rolleyes: Come on, literally every single thing about this screams “HOAX” from the rooftops with the loudest humanly possible megaphone. And you don’t even offer a source? Time to recalibrate your bullshit filter, it’s clearly more broken than Akuma. Well, he did told us that indeed “there are several indicators to me that this is more scare than actual science.” In any case, yeah, it looks like woo OP, and possibly a fraud, more from truth in advertisement: > [@](#): > > A third problem is that yeast is not really a “parasite” in the way parasite is commonly understood, and ads that show tapeworm-looking creatures may be misleading. > > Consider carefully before buying this product. Whole Body Research presents Keybiotics as a cure-all for the woes of a high-sugar diet. And while certain probiotics may help with those health issues, changes in diet and exercise may be enough too. Maybe ask your doctor. > > UPDATE 1/15/2014: Whole Body Research has corrected its website and has removed the claim that it has an “A” rating from the BBB. ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/7 "2014-01-19T23:05:17Z")
I’ve seen these ads around, too. It’s a “whiteboard” presentation you can see [here](http://keybiotics.com/science.html). I’d suggest you watch it – it should be required viewing for anyone who wants to distort information while coming across as genuinely concerned. I think it’s about 20 minutes long, it’s been a couple weeks since I watched it. It hits every button – there’s some reference to vague toxins, a bunch of studies interpreted to mean something other than what they actually found, outright falsehoods, a few ad hominem attacks, fear mongering with “evil corporations” and the like, the usual mischaracterization of “natural” as meaning “healthy,” the “single source causing all sorts of different diseases” trick, the “single substance curing all sorts of different diseases” trick, the “if you have every had \, then you’ve probably had \”, and a smattering of true facts misinterpreted for commercial gain. It’s an amazing–nay, stunning-- work of the dishonest arts. And yes, it’s an ad for probiotics. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2014, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/8 "2014-01-19T23:40:00Z")
OP sounds sufficiently skeptical. I read the question as more “I know this looks like BS, but what _is_ this ‘parasite.’” I eat arsenic every day because it’s natural. If it gets too toxic I can always drink juice, as that is proven to remove these toxins. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/9 "2014-01-20T00:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > A third problem is that yeast is not really a “parasite” in the way parasite is commonly understood, and ads that show tapeworm-looking creatures may be misleading. Uh, yeah, just a little bit. Apparently budding yeast aren’t scary enough to get you to send in your money. Candida as the source-of-all-diseases has been around a long time, and this belief has fueled the sale of lots of books and remedies. Let’s say you feel depressed on occasion, can’t lose weight and don’t feel energetic enough. It’s got to be some parasite or mystery disease! Like Morgellons, or Candida or liver flukes, or, well, _something_ that can be banished by the right supplement or diet or zapper or Rife machine treatment or whatever. I swear I should quit my job and go into selling profitable woo. I’m told I am quite proficient in convincing bullshit-pitching, and after following this stuff for years, I could write the ad copy in my sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/10 "2014-01-20T01:48:30Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Uh, yeah, just a little bit. Apparently budding yeast aren’t scary enough to get you to send in your money. > > Candida as the source-of-all-diseases has been around a long time, and this belief has fueled the sale of lots of books and remedies. Anyone remember [Tullio Simoncini](http://www.cancerisafungus.com/)? Man, that guy was a hoot. Until he killed someone with his therapy. Then he was just _kinda_ a hoot. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/11 "2014-01-20T04:51:08Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > …A true entertainer. A singer. A real thrush… Did you _really_ think you’d get away with that stinker? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/12 "2014-01-20T05:19:02Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Did you _really_ think you’d get away with that stinker? I bet you were itching to do it first. 😛 (pretend that tongue is yellow). Eh, I learned a new word. Although it sounds dated, I hear in my head “thrushes, dames, and broads” in an Edward G. Robinson voice. ---
**Author:** ![txtumbleweed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/278dde/32.png) [@txtumbleweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/txtumbleweed)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/13 "2014-01-20T15:20:32Z")
Of course the BS meter was going off, all the way to 11. But just because I want to call BS on it doesn’t mean that other folks don’t believe. Plenty of examples where what, to me, looked like iffy science became full scale scares because they worked on an emotional level. And this came across as an emotional appeal rather than a factual one. Perfect for 20/20. Despite my curiosity, I really didn’t want to encourage the makers of this ad by clicking on their website. That would tell them the ad worked, which means I would see even more of them. I knew an intrepid Doper would have already scoped out what was going on and fill me in. Much appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Barrister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Tom\_Barrister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Barrister)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/14 "2014-05-10T00:36:06Z")
It’s a marketing ploy, bordering on a scam. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/15 "2014-05-10T02:56:21Z")
Ya reckon? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/16 "2014-05-10T03:49:08Z")
> [@txtumbleweed](#): > > As I settled into YouTube the other night, I was hit with an advertisement wanting me to go to a website to learn more about the American Parasite. I am even seeing ads now for the same thing. > > Apparently it affects 250 million Americans, takes control of your body, and the commercial seems to imply corporate food types deliberately introduce this parasite into their food to get you to eat more Twinkies and avoid fruits and vegetables. :eek: [No!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stuff) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/17 "2014-05-10T05:28:36Z")
> [@Tom\_Barrister](#): > > It’s a marketing ploy, bordering on a scam. You can’t even _see_ the border from where this is. Heck, both words in the _title_ are misleading! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2014, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/american-parasite/679225/18 "2014-05-10T14:33:53Z")
“American Parasite” would be an intriguing movie title. Maybe a film version of the Stephen King story about the guy who drank the bad can of beer…:eek: