AIDS can help you lose weight

Awesome old commercial from the pre-AIDS era.

Ayds was an appetite-suppressant candy which enjoyed strong sales in the 1970s and early 1980s. It was available in chocolate, chocolate mint, butterscotch or caramel flavors, and later a peanut butter flavor was introduced. The original packaging used the phrase "Ayds Reducing Plan vitamin and mineral Candy"; a later version used the phrase "appetite suppressant candy". The active ingredient was originally benzocaine[1] later changed in the candy as reported by the New York Times to phenylpropanolamine, presumably to reduce the sense of taste to reduce eating.[2]

However, public awareness of the disease AIDS beginning around mid-1981 caused problems for the brand due to the phonetic similarity of names. Initially sales were not affected, but by 1988 the chairman of Dep Corporation announced that the company was seeking a new name because sales had dropped as much as 50 percent due to publicity about the disease [3]. The product's name was changed to Diet Ayds (Aydslim in Britain), but eventually it was withdrawn from the market.

Videos of old Ayds television commercials have enjoyed a resurgence of popularity on internet video sites for the unintentional humor from the association with the wasting associated with HIV infection (for example, Ayds helps you lose weight or Why take diet pills when you can enjoy Ayds? or even Thank Goodness For Ayds).

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