Activia yoghurt: because women have dodgy guts

On Sunday my boyfriend asked me why yoghurt ads were always for women and whether women were "all constipated or something" (as so many adverts imply). He was slightly put out because he likes yoghurt a lot. More than I do in fact. I'd rather go full fat and eat ice cream.

I hadn't really noticed it much before but I think the boy's onto something. It was Activia yoghurt that inspired his comments. The TV advert, with the ever-chirpy Martine McCutcheon, was first shown in the post-Christmas overeating haze that befell Britain and told us that "we're done with those Christmas indulgences and "2010 is the year of Tummy Loving Care". It also contained the gem "when you feel happier on the inside, you're happier on the outside". A bit grating, but that's not too bad.

We get to the science bit about 17 seconds in:

Anatomically incorrect? Check. Inexplicable coloured blobs? Check. Words that sound suspiciously made-up? Check. Vague mention of "studies"? Check. It ticks all the boxes of bad science in adverts.

What is "bifidus actiregularis"? The bifidus part relates to the bifidus bacteria, technically known as bifidobacterium animalis. It's actually a bacteria already present in the human large intestine, which begs the question of whether anyone needs to eat it. "Actiregularis" is however, a completely made up word, probably to imply activity and regularity. There's an ongoing dispute over whether such probiotic yoghurts are any good, as discussed in this Guardian article for example.

The Activia website is supposed to shed some light on the science (kudos for showing a woman scientist at least). Activia says:

"Don't just take our word for it: 82% of women with digestive discomfort said they felt better after eating one or two pots of Activia® a day"

This is based on a study where 292 consumers ate one or two pots of Activia for 14 days. We have no idea why the women felt better and whether it was because of the Activia. Wouldn't they have begun feeling better anyway in a 14-day period? What does "feel better" mean in quantifiable terms anyway? How did the men in the group feel (if there were any)? Control groups?

Going back to the point of the article; why are these yoghurts adverts targetting only women? Don't men get digestive discomfort? To be honest I have no idea. But in my researching tonight I came across the wonderful Sarah Haskins, who regularly spoofs how the media targets women. I watched her hilarious video on yoghurts (US based but still relevent) and feel a bit better about unnecessarily gendered advertising. And I'm glad I don't eat much yoghurt because I don't want to become the poor Imodium woman who suffers from diarrhoea instead:

Women. You just can't trust your guts to behave.