{"id":9536,"date":"2015-01-14T06:00:58","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/candostreet.com\/blog-parents\/?p=9536"},"modified":"2015-01-11T16:54:15","modified_gmt":"2015-01-11T21:54:15","slug":"before-you-try-a-weight-loss-supplement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/candostreetny.com\/blog-parents\/before-you-try-a-weight-loss-supplement\/","title":{"rendered":"Before You Try a Weight Loss Supplement…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"weight\"<\/a>Many of us have vowed to lose weight in 2015. We all would like to find a quick fix, an easier path than dieting and exercising. We may be tempted to try one of those miracle weight loss supplements or foods. Before you do, please read what the FDA has to say about weight loss products.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h1>\n

Many so-called \u201cmiracle\u201d weight loss supplements and foods (including teas and coffees) don\u2019t live up to their claims. Worse, they can cause serious harm, say FDA regulators. The agency has found hundreds of products that are marketed as dietary supplements but actually contain hidden active ingredients (components that make a medicine effective against a specific illness) contained in prescription drugs, unsafe ingredients that were in drugs that have been removed from the market, or compounds that have not been adequately studied in humans.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the product contains a drug or other ingredient which is not listed as an ingredient we become especially concerned about the safety of the product,\u201d says James P. Smith, M.D., an acting deputy director in FDA\u2019s Office of Drug Evaluation.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tainted Products<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

For example, FDA has found weight loss products tainted with the prescription drug ingredient sibutramine. This ingredient was in an FDA-approved drug called Meridia, which was removed from the market in October 2010 because it caused heart problems and strokes.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve also found weight-loss products marketed as supplements that contain dangerous concoctions of hidden ingredients including active ingredients contained in approved seizure medications, blood pressure medications, and antidepressants,\u201d says Jason Humbert, a senior regulatory manager at FDA. Most recently, FDA has found a number of products marketed as dietary supplements containing fluoxetine, the active ingredient found in Prozac, a prescription drug marketed for the treatment of depression and other conditions. Another product contained triamterene, a powerful diuretic (sometimes known as \u201cwater pills\u201d) that can have serious side-effects and should only be used under the supervision of a health care professional.<\/span><\/p>\n

Many of these tainted products are imported, sold online, and heavily promoted on social media sites. Some can also be found on store shelves.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if you\u2019re about to take what you think of as \u201cnatural\u201d dietary supplements, such as bee pollen or Garcinia cambogia, you should be aware that FDA has found some of these products also contain hidden active ingredients contained in prescription drugs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe only natural way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in,\u201d says James P. Smith, M.D. That means a combination of healthful eating and physical activity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dietary Supplements are not FDA-Approved<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act (as amended by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994), dietary supplement firms do not need FDA approval prior to marketing their products. It is the company\u2019s responsibility to make sure its products are safe and that any claims made about such products are true.<\/span><\/p>\n

But just because you see a supplement product on a store shelf does not mean it is safe, Humbert says. FDA has received numerous reports of harm associated with the use of weight loss products, including increased blood pressure, heart palpitations (a pounding or racing heart), stroke, seizure and death. When safety issues are suspected, FDA must investigate and, when warranted, take steps to have these products removed from the market.<\/span><\/p>\n

FDA has issued over 30 public notifications and recalled 7 tainted weight loss products in 2014. The agency also has issued warning letters, seized products, and criminally prosecuted people responsible for marketing these illegal diet products. In addition, FDA maintains an online list<\/span><\/a> of tainted weight-loss products.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n

To help people with long-term weight management, FDA has approved prescription drugs such as Belviq, Qysmia, and Contrave, but these products are intended for people at least 18 years of age who:<\/span><\/p>\n