This paper briefly examines the state of regulation in Canada and the United States with regard to the commercial advertisement of health claims associated with nutraceuticals, functional foods, and natural health products (NFFNHPs). A literature review was conducted to assess the state of the scientific research on the health benefits of the basic food elements that are essential ingredients in many NFFNHPs, and thus are subject to regulations governing allowable health claims in advertising. The types of health claims allowed to be used in advertising in Canada and the United States were checked for congruence with the scientific research found in the academic literature surveyed.

In a recent update to a previous study, Himmelstein et al (2009) concluded that in 2007, uninsured medical expenses or loss of income due to illness caused nearly two-thirds (62.1 percent) of all non-business bankruptcies in the United States. The authors blame this on America's pluralistic health insurance system. The authors are well-known proponents of Canada's government-run medical insurance system.