Supplements for Weight Loss

What defines a dietary supplement versus a drug As defined by Congress in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (which became law in 1994), a dietary supplement is a product (other than tobacco) that  

One distinction between drugs and dietary supplements is how they are regulated by the FDA. Unlike for drugs, manufacturers do not have to provide FDA with evidence that dietary 

Unlike with drugs, manufacturers of dietary supplements do not have to disclose potential side effects of their products to consumers. The label of the supplement may contain a cautionary statement, but the lack of such a statement does not mean that no adverse effects are associated with the product. Dietary supplements may also interfere with the activity of other medicines (drugs or other supplements) an individual is taking. Also unlike with drugs, the manufacturer is not required to disclose these interactions to the consumer. 

Products containing ephedra were used extensively by the American public for weight loss and to enhance athletic performance. Ephedra, a stimulant similar to amphetamine, increases blood pressure and heart rate after only one dose, significantly increasing a person s risk of heart attack, stroke, and death. Because ephedra is a dietary supplement, the FDA did not review its safety or efficacy before it became available to the American public. According to law, the FDA could only prohibit the sale of the dietary supplement if it was proven to present a significant or unreasonable risk of injury. 

In February 2004, the FDA withdrew ephedra, one of the most popular dietary supplements, from the market because it finally had enough information to prove that ephedra presented an unreasonable risk of illness or injury under the conditions of use recommended on the product labeling. This withdrawal did not happen until many people suffered from the terrible potential side effects of this supplement (see Chapter 4). 

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Thousands of dietary supplements are marketed for the purpose of weight loss. It would be impossible to cover each of these individual products in this chapter. Instead, this chapter will familiarize you with common ingredients found in many dietary supplements. You are encouraged to review ingredients in common dietary supplements for weight loss to understand the potential positive and negative effects of these products. 

OTHER DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS FOR WEIGHT LOSS Dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA)... 

Now that you know more about some common ingredients found in dietary supplements for weight loss, you should make sure you read the ingredients on any supplements you... 

Saper, Robert B., David M. Eisenberg, and Russell S. Phillips. "Common Dietary Supplements for Weight Loss." American Family Physician 70 no. 9 (November 1, 2004) 1731. Available online. URL www.aafp.org/afp/20041101/1731.html. Accessed November 13, 2007. 

Two episodes of tachycardia were reported in a woman who took a dietary supplement for weight loss that contained bitter orange concentrated extract (30 mg synephrine daily) no additional information on the product formulation was provided in the case report. The episodes occurred on two separate days, 1 month apart, on which the woman initiated use of the extract (Firenzuoli et al. 2005). 

Pigeon (adult) Manure-fertilised millet supplement versus chemically fertilised millet supplement Less weight loss (22.4% versus 37.4%) over the study period for birds fed manure-fertilised millet. Longer survival (50 versus 33 days) in birds with polyneuritis fed the manure-fertilised millet (McCarrrison, 1926)... 

It may seem like there is an herb available to cure anything that ails you. Herbal pills and other dietary supplements claim to provide a solution for everything from memory problems to frequent colds. Supplement companies have a pill for weight loss, too. 

Several adulterants added to nonherbal supplements, vitamins, and herbal medicine preparations can cause renal dysfunction and renal failure. Aristolochic acid is used as a herbal remedy for weight loss and has been reported to cause Chinese herb nephropathy characterized by extensive interstitial fibrosis with tubular atrophy and loss. Herbal medicine preparations produced in South Asia contain potentially harmful levels of lead, mercury, and/or arsenic which can lead to renal toxicity. 

A 35-year-old woman complained of nausea, fatigue, pruritus, dark urine, pale stools, and jaundice after taking a supplement containing chromium picohnate for weight loss (14). Infectious hepatitis was excluded and a liver biopsy was consistent with toxic liver damage. Hepatic chromium concentrations were more than 10 times normal. The chromium supplement was withdrawn and she received supportive treatment with a suspension containing natural products, colestyramine 1 g qds, and hydroxyzine 25 mg tds. She fully recovered in 3 months. 

Boozer CN, Nasser JA, Heymsfield SB, Wang V, Chen G, Solomon JL. An herbal supplement containing Ma Huang-Guarana for weight loss a randomized, doubleblind trial. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2001 25(3) 316-324. 

Fugh-Berman A, Myers A. Citrus aurantium, an ingredient of dietary supplements marketed for weight loss current status of clinical and basic research. Exp Biol Med 2004 229 698-704. 

TABLE 140—5. Herbal/Natural Products and Food Supplements Used for Weight Loss ... 

Lenz, T.L. and Hamilton, W.R. 2004. Supplemental products used for weight loss. J. Am. Pharm. 

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