Background
This Ruling forms part of a wider piece of work on prostate health. The ad was identified for investigation following intelligence gathered by our Active Ad Monitoring system, which uses AI to proactively search for online ads that might break the rules. See also related rulings published on 10 December 2025.Ad description
A paid-for Meta ad for Alphacut, seen in June 2025, featured a video which showed a man talking into a microphone in the style of a podcast, who stated, “Getting up multiple times a night isn’t just annoying, it’s a warning sign that most men ignore until it’s too late. I’ve heard some horror stories from men who’ve tried everything with no success. We had one guy getting up seven times nightly for years. He tried everything: limiting fluids, cutting caffeine, even drugstore supplements. Nothing worked because most men don’t realise the problem is two-part: your prostate puts pressure on your bladder, whilst poor circulation makes everything worse. Half of men over 40 have real prostate issues, simply because they don’t know how to address this on their own. That’s why we’ve created this premium Prostate Health Nitric Oxide Bundle. It’s USA-made with saw palmetto and nettle root to reduce prostate inflammation, plus ingredients that help improve blood flow throughout your system. One customer went from five trips to just one within a month; by three months, most men sleep through the night completely. Try our bundle for at least four weeks, then come back and comment your results.” The video included images of men getting up in the night throughout and images of the supplement products. At the end, the video included a picture of the Nitric Oxide and Prostate Health supplement products, and text that stated, “FREE Nitric Oxide Booster with Prostate Health”.
The caption stated, “Over 40 and Not Feeling Like Yourself? Don’t Ignore the Signs. As men age, it’s common to experience urinary issues, frequent nighttime bathroom trips, and a general drop in energy. These are often early signs of declining prostate health – and if left unaddressed, they can impact your confidence, comfort and quality of life”. Text at the bottom of the ad stated “WWW.ALPHACUT.CO Real Relief. Real Results.” alongside a hyperlinked button with text that stated “Shop now”.
Issue
The ASA challenged whether the claims in the ad that stated or implied that the Prostate Health and Nitric Oxide supplements could help to treat or cure symptoms of prostate enlargement, including urine incontinence, were in breach of the Code.Response
Muxue Trade Ltd t/a Alphacut did not respond to the ASA’s enquiries.Assessment
Upheld
The ASA was concerned by Muxue Trade Ltd t/a Alphacut’s lack of response and apparent disregard for the Code, which was a breach of CAP Code (Edition 12) rule 1.7 (Unreasonable delay). We reminded them of their responsibility to respond promptly to our enquiries and told them to do so in future.
The CAP Code stated that claims which stated or implied a food could prevent, treat or cure human disease were prohibited for foods; including food supplements. It also stated that medicinal claims may be made for a medicinal product that was licensed by the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) or under the auspices of the EMA (European Medicines Agency). Medicines must have a license from the MHRA or under the auspices of the EMA before they are marketed.
The ad stated, “Getting up multiple times a night isn’t just annoying, it’s a warning sign that most men ignore until it’s too late […] most men don’t realise the problem is two-part: your prostate puts pressure on your bladder, whilst poor circulation makes everything worse. Half of men over 40 have real prostate issues […]. That’s why we’ve created this premium Prostate Health Nitric Oxide Bundle […] to reduce prostate inflammation, plus ingredients to help improve blood flow throughout your system. One customer went from five trips to just one within a month; by three months, most men sleep through the night completely.” We considered consumers would understand the claims to mean that the supplement products could alleviate urinary urgency and frequency and disorders of sleep, and would understand from the references to “Prostate Health supplement products” in the ad that those were symptoms of prostate problems.
Claims to relieve symptoms, or to cure, or to provide a remedy or heal a specific disease or adverse condition of body or mind were regarded as a medicinal claim. Urine incontinence and urine flow problems were symptoms of adverse medical conditions in males, including for example prostate problems, such as an enlarged prostate. Sleep disorders were also adverse medical conditions. We considered the claims referenced above were medicinal claims, and implied that the product had medicinal properties.
The Prostate Health and Nitric Oxide products were, in general terms, marketed as food supplements. The Code prohibited claims that a food, which included food supplements, could prevent, treat, or cure human disease. For the purposes of the legislation reflected in the Code, that included medicinal claims. We concluded the claims therefore were prohibited claims that a food could prevent, treat or cure human disease. Additionally, because the ad made medicinal claims for the Prostate Health and Nitric Oxide products, they were defined as medicinal products for the purposes of medicines legislation. Claims that a product had medicinal properties may only be made for a medicinal product that was authorised by the MHRA or under the auspices of the EMA. We had not seen evidence that Muxue Trade Ltd t/a Alphacut held such authorisation for their supplements. The ad was therefore in breach of the Code’s requirements relating both to food supplements and to medicinal products.
The ad breached CAP Code (Edition 12) rules 12.1, 12.11 (Medicines, medical devices health-related products and beauty products), 15.6 and 15.6.2 (Food, food supplements and associated health or nutrition claims).
Action
The ad must not appear again in the form investigated. We told Muxue Trade Ltd t/a Alphacut not to state or imply that their food supplements could prevent, treat or cure human disease, which included claims to treat or cure the symptoms of prostate problems. We also told them not to make medicinal claims for products that were not authorised by the MHRA. We referred the matter to CAP's Compliance team.
