Recently the FDA has taken action on two ingredients in weight-loss aids. Phenylpropanolamine hydrochloride, a common ingredient in appetite suppressants and cold medications, was taken off the market in the fall of 2000 because of reports that it caused strokes in women. In addition, the agency recalled tiratricol, an ingredient marketed as a thyroid stimulator, after finding that it was not merely a supplement but rather a new drug, which needed FDA approval in order to be marketed.

But other ingredients with dangerous side effects remain on the market. Perhaps the best known example is Ma-huang, an herb also called ephedrine or ephedra, which has been linked to 17 deaths, as well as to acute hepatitis and other kinds of liver damage. Another is chromium picolinate, which may cause iron-deficiency anemia and, when taken over long periods, may cause chromosomal damage. In addition, some ingredients in weight-loss aids can cause side effects, especially when taken with other drugs. (I DON'T BELIEVE THESE STATEMENTS, therefore USE DISCERNMENT when reading propaganda articles like this one!--"Cheyenne Cin")

From the Harvard Health Publications Special Health Report, Weigh Less, Live Longer. Copyright 2001 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.