“As alleged in this complaint, Plaintiffs seek to hold F-Factor Defendants accountable for selling a dangerous product that injured many people. We look forward to the truth about the F-Factor Products coming to light in this litigation,”
A group of women from around the country say the popular F-Factor “fad” diet made them very sick – in some cases causing intestinal bleeding or requiring them to get emergency surgery, according to a new lawsuit.
The plaintiffs — eight women from multiple states — claim they suffered serious health complications after going on Tanya Zuckerbrot’s high-fiber diet, which launched with a book in 2006 and has attracted celebrity followers over the years.
The weight loss regimen advocates “no upper limit” on fiber intake and allegedly pushes supplements containing heavy metals, according to the Manhattan Supreme Court lawsuit from Wednesday.
“Excessively high fiber consumption is what defendants peddled to the public as the ‘secret to permanent weight loss,’” the suit claims, alleging that in reality, F-Factor is “an ill-conceived and dangerous fad diet.”
In fact, F-Factor powders and bars have 20 grams of fiber in just one serving – which is the entire daily amount of fiber recommended by the US Department of Health, the suit says.
Still, the products don’t contain any warnings of potential dangers, rather they merely including a notice to “use only as directed in the book F-Factor Diet,” the lawsuit states. The book goes for $17 and is frequently out of stock, it notes.
Meanwhile, the F-Factor diet has caused “consumers and plaintiffs significant health issues” including “intestinal blockages requiring emergency surgery, debilitating gastric pain, disordered eating, [and] severe allergic reactions,” suit claims.
Other issues include intestinal bleeding, liver problems, kidney stones and loss of a period for women, the suit alleges.
Zuckerbrot – who has coached notable clients including Megyn Kelly and model Olivia Culpo – and her brand “intentionally misinformed consumers about F-Factor Products in order to increase sales,” the filing charges.
The nutrition guru has allegedly bullied anyone who speaks out about the side-effects of her diet, the suit says.
She’s called critical comments “rumors and lies” in a press release, deleted negative feedback from social media, threatened to sue critics and employed “a team of internet bullies” to harass whistleblowers, the filing alleges.
Zuckerbrot has been in a public legal battle with influencer Emily Gellis since 2020, having filed two suits claiming Gellis is trying to destroy her brand by allegedly spreading lies about the negative effects of her diet. Both cases are still pending.
Zuckerbrot’s niece, Jordyn Bloom, also filed suit against Gellis in September for allegedly falsely accusing the family member of threatening Gellis to increase her social media following. That case is pending.
Zuckerbrot has dismissed claims that her diet is harmful as “rumors.”
“As alleged in this complaint, Plaintiffs seek to hold F-Factor Defendants accountable for selling a dangerous product that injured many people. We look forward to the truth about the F-Factor Products coming to light in this litigation,” said Nathan Werksman, an attorney for the plaintiffs, in a statement.
Zuckerbrot’s attorney Duncan Levin blasted the claims as “utterly baseless” and said they “have been disproven time and time and again.”
Original article written by Priscilla DeGregory and published in the New York Post.
