Community Magazine December 2009

O ne morning at a local gym, anxious whispering could be heard between trainers and clients. The peddling gossip was about two women who spent the previous night in a hospital after experiencing seizures and heart palpitations. Rumor had it that controlled substances, like steroids, were found in their bloodstream, and the gym was reported to be the source of the problem. Allegedly, these women were taking supplements handed out by their trainer, who had since been dismissed from the gym for distributing these products. The supplements promised to give them more energy, increase their metabolism and help them lose weight, fast. But these supplements, the trainer explained, were different. Better. They were “self-made” by his own hands. His clients fell for the weight-loss promise as quickly as the weight promised to disappear. No questions asked. Plainly speaking, people are desperately trying to find the quickest and easiest way to lose weight. So desperate, in fact, that these women continued taking the harmful pills even after the trainer was fired for distributing his supplements. Before writing these women off as drug abusers, consider that they were acting as many would from the desperation of wanting the miracle weight-loss drug. In 2007, 70 percent of the US population was taking dietary supplements, and the weight-loss supplement industry was worth $1.67 billion. Mr. Jeff Burbank, Rph, a pharmacist for over 20 years at Dear Drugs Pharmacy, attests to the fact that weight-loss supplements are increasingly prevalent in community members’ diets. “Unfortunately, weight- loss supplements are a major component in many diets. People are looking for the miracle drug, like snake oil from the 1800’s where one sip cures your ailments, but it doesn’t work like that. Nothing can replace a good diet and exercise for weight-loss.” Unsupervised and Unrestricted Rule of thumb: if it sounds too good to be true, then it is – especially when a product promises to produce weight-loss of over two pounds per week without diet and exercise. Consumer Reports noted that the consequences of these supplements can be far worse than just false advertising, and can include: heart attack, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, rapid or irregular heartbeat, seizures, stroke and possible death. Currently, the Food and DrugAdministration (FDA) has limited authorization over dietary supplements, since they are not considered drugs. Manufacturers do not need to register their products or get approval from the FDA before placing them on the market. Mr. Burbank explains, “The lack of FDA approval means that 9 out of 10 times weight-loss supplements do not do a thing.” Because of the lack of FDA oversight, consumers can easily be takingsupplementscontainingcontrolledsubstances.Manufacturers may either omit harmful chemicals on their ingredient list or accidentally contaminate the pill during production. As of 2007, if a supplement is later found to contain illegal substances or have serious side effects, the FDA can pull it off the shelves, as in the case of ephedra, an ingredient in herbal weight-loss treatments. Ephedra was removed from the U.S. market in 2004 after it was found to cause strokes and heart problems. The Natural Ingredients Trick There is growing controversy over whether other ingredients in supplements, including vitamins, have beneficial or harmful effects on one’s health. Certain herbal and weight-loss supplement ingredients, including comfrey, chaparral and kava, were shown to be linked to 9 percent of 300 cases of drug-induced liver problems in a study published in the Journal of Gastroenterology. Dr. Steven Clarke PhD., MS, a laboratory leader in pharmaceutical research and professor in the Brooklyn College nutrition program, explains, “A supplement can claim to be botanically derived, but once purified, it can be harmful. Being botanically derived does not make it safe.” Furthermore, if a person has preexisting health conditions, extra precaution is needed. Mr. Burbank says, “People need to watch out for ephedra or caffeine, the active ingredients behind many weight-loss supplements, especially if they have high blood pressure, coronary heart failure or an erratic heartbeat.” A Body to Die For BETH WARREN 30 Community magazine