A continuing investigation by the FDA has prompted consumer warnings and recalls by some distributors of dozens of so-called "weight loss supplements", many of them imported from China. According to the FDA- which I don't always agree with, but is on the money with this one- many of these supplements contain hidden and potentially harmful drugs. To which I would add- and most of them aren't even effective.
I was personally delighted to see "Star Caps" on the warning list. This overpriced, ridiculous product was aggressively marketed by one Nikki Haskel. Who is Nikki Haskel and what does she know about nutrition? Glad you asked. Back when I lived in NY, Nikki Haskell was an "in-crowd" wannabe, a perpetual hanger on at all the "in" clubs, and the host of a low-rent cable TV show where she interviewed B list celebrities and pretended to be part of the "in crowd". Next thing you know she turns up as a "diet guru" marketing a pill whose ingredients were basically papaya and garlic for 100 bucks a pop.
And people bought it- at least until recently, when it was revealed that Star Caps also contains a substance on the "banned" list of the NFL. But Star Caps isn't the only culprit. The FDA now lists 72 tainted weight-loss supplements. "A large percentage of these products either contain dangerous undeclared ingredients or they might be outright fraudulent on the ingredients and have no effect at all", said Michael Levy, the director of the FDA's division of New Drugs and Labeling Compliance.
Now I'm no fan of the FDA. But it's worth pointing out that many of the ingredients on their warning list do in fact have a lot of serious problems associated with them, including high blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid hearbeat), palpitations and even stroke.
One of the controlled substances found in many of the listed products is Sibutramine, the same ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, only at an even higher dosage. Fenproporex, another controlled substance found in many of the products, can cause arrhythmia and possible sudden death.
Here is a partial list of the products on the FDA's list of "tainted" weight loss products:
- 3 Day Diet
- 7 Day Herbal Slim
- 21 Double Slim
- 24 Hours Diet
- Fatloss Slimming
- Perfect Slim
- Royal Slimming Formula
- Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula
- Starcaps
- Super Fat Burner
There's nothing wrong with using products to help with weight loss- particularly safe, effective products like Green Tea Extract, Super Citrimax, CLA-Tonalin and the like.
But they're not magic.
Used in conjunction with a lower calorie, low-carb diet and a sensible exercise program, they can give you an edge.
Best of all, they're completely safe. And- unlike Star Caps and others like it- they don't cost a fortune, promise the moon and deliver substances that may seriously harm your health.
A continuing investigation by the FDA has prompted consumer warnings and recalls by some distributors of dozens of so-called "weight loss supplements", many of them imported from China. According to the FDA- which I don't always agree with, but is on the money with this one- many of these supplements contain hidden and potentially harmful drugs. To which I would add- and most of them aren't even effective.
I was personally delighted to see "Star Caps" on the warning list. This overpriced, ridiculous product was aggressively marketed by one Nikki Haskel. Who is Nikki Haskel and what does she know about nutrition? Glad you asked. Back when I lived in NY, Nikki Haskell was an "in-crowd" wannabe, a perpetual hanger on at all the "in" clubs, and the host of a low-rent cable TV show where she interviewed B list celebrities and pretended to be part of the "in crowd". Next thing you know she turns up as a "diet guru" marketing a pill whose ingredients were basically papaya and garlic for 100 bucks a pop.
And people bought it- at least until recently, when it was revealed that Star Caps also contains a substance on the "banned" list of the NFL. But Star Caps isn't the only culprit. The FDA now lists 72 tainted weight-loss supplements. "A large percentage of these products either contain dangerous undeclared ingredients or they might be outright fraudulent on the ingredients and have no effect at all", said Michael Levy, the director of the FDA's division of New Drugs and Labeling Compliance.
Now I'm no fan of the FDA. But it's worth pointing out that many of the ingredients on their warning list do in fact have a lot of serious problems associated with them, including high blood pressure, tachycardia (rapid hearbeat), palpitations and even stroke.
One of the controlled substances found in many of the listed products is Sibutramine, the same ingredient in the prescription drug Meridia, only at an even higher dosage. Fenproporex, another controlled substance found in many of the products, can cause arrhythmia and possible sudden death.
Here is a partial list of the products on the FDA's list of "tainted" weight loss products:
There's nothing wrong with using products to help with weight loss- particularly safe, effective products like Green Tea Extract, Super Citrimax, CLA-Tonalin and the like.
But they're not magic.
Used in conjunction with a lower calorie, low-carb diet and a sensible exercise program, they can give you an edge.
Best of all, they're completely safe. And- unlike Star Caps and others like it- they don't cost a fortune, promise the moon and deliver substances that may seriously harm your health.