Stem cell research was considered a “true revolution against disease and aging.” Scientific studies, magazines, and the media all placed these stem cells on a pedestal.
They had the potential to become any type of tissue and seemed to be the key to unlocking the secrets of regenerative medicine. The idea was simple but incredible: use our own cells to repair any damaged organ or tissue. We would no longer need organ transplants, which require lifelong medication to prevent our bodies from rejecting this foreign body, but instead we could regenerate (as if we were lizards) almost any organ we needed.
Two decades have passed, and it seems that stem cells have been relegated to a forgotten chapter in a science fiction book. What about this great promise in 2025? Unfortunately, the stem cell revolution has largely stalled in its research phase. To make matters worse, it has become a kind of “magic pill” that is freely sold on platforms such as Amazon. What was supposed to revolutionize medicine has ended up as a supplement sold alongside common vitamins and collagen supplements of dubious quality. The prestige that this science continues to enjoy is only being exploited by an unscrupulous market. Medicine is one thing, but commerce is a driver that steps on the gas pedal without control.
The fact is that these stem cell products are not the cutting-edge biotechnology they pretend to be, but rather have no proven medical effects whatsoever.
Stem cell pills
To understand the magnitude of the fraud that these pills represent, we first need to understand what stem cells actually are. They can be defined as the “master cells” of our body. As we mentioned earlier, they have the potential to become almost any type of differentiated cell: muscle, nerve tissue, or skin cells.
To date, there are only a handful of therapies that truly use stem cells in a proven way, such as bone marrow transplants. This technique has been used for decades to treat leukemia and other blood disorders. It has also been used to a limited extent but with great effectiveness in the treatment of severe burns or certain forms of blindness. However, the vast majority of regenerative therapies are still in the very early stages of research.
The issue of pills and supplements that claim to contain live stem cells is simply false; no capsule, bottle, or liquid is capable of storing live stem cells. Outside the stable and complex conditions of a laboratory, these cells die instantly. Therefore, any product that claims to do so is lying in its most basic and scientific premise. What is being sold are common ingredients that supposedly “support,” “promote,” or “maintain” the health of the stem cells we already have… which is an impossible claim to verify.
Commercial fraud on Amazon
Pills are sold almost everywhere, but the Amazon platform (due to its size) is one of the main culprits in their sale to the public. A group of researchers from the University of Alberta, Canada, set out to reveal the extent of this problem in online commerce. The team analyzed no less than 184 different products associated with 133 companies. All of them were sold on the Amazon platform. They discovered a marketing strategy that was not only dishonest, but also deliberate and sophisticated.
Sellers surrounded themselves with an aura of supposed scientific legitimacy to promise benefits. The study found that 94% of supplements made promises related to very specific ailments: anti-aging, immunity boosting, and a general increase in energy. More than 40% of the products explicitly mentioned the use of “science” or “scientific evidence” in their messages. In addition, 35% included direct references to “health professionals” to further reinforce their credibility.
The FDA prohibits supplements from claiming that they can “cure,” “treat,” or ‘prevent’ a specific disease. However, these marketers use words that, instead of curing, vaguely promise to “support,” “promote,” or “maintain” health.