The United States Army is investigating whether certain dietary supplements available until recently at military bases may have played a role in the deaths of two soldiers.

Contradicting claims of disease prevention, an analysis of previous studies indicates that the antioxidant supplements beta carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E may increase the risk of death, according to a meta-analysis and review article JAMA

Dreams of rapid weight loss and fake celebrity endorsements from Rachael Ray and Oprah lured customers into providing their credit or debit card numbers for a "free trial" of acai berry pills. Instead of getting real acai berry pills, or any effective supplement that provided weight loss results, consumer received pills marketed as AcaiPure and Colopure that were nothing but a laxative. After the "free trial" consumers to receive shipments of pills they didn't want and charges of $45 to $65 that mounted despite consumer attempts to cancel.

This acai berry pill scam bilked consumers out of up to $100 million, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC announced on August 15 that it has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to shut down this massive weight loss pill scam. Some customers reported losing up to $500 trying to stop shipments of weight-loss pills and charges to her checking account.