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Some weight loss supplements may hold hidden heart risks
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Nonprescription weight-loss supplements available for online purchase may cause ventricular arrhythmias, cardiac arrest or sudden cardiac death, according to new study data.
A team of researchers from the Center for Cardiac Arrhythmias and Electrophysiology Research at the Texas Heart Institute bought and examined 12 different brands of weight-loss supplements and identified 11 ingredients on the labels that had at least one report of life-threatening cardiac complications or death. One ingredient was banned by the FDA since 2004. No warning labels on the bottles or shipping packages listed potential cardiac complications for any of the examined products, according to the researchers. — by Judith Rusk
Massumi A, Razavi M. AB22. Presented at: Heart Rhythm 2008; May 14-17, 2008; San Francisco.
Our patients are taking drugs we don’t understand that are unregulated by the FDA. As a physician I’ll ask patients what they’re taking, but due to the regulatory issues, may not know what’s in a supplement. We also cannot predict how a supplement will react with traditional medicines. I generally tell [my patients] that I don’t understand all the things that are in there and I recommend that they stick with a multivitamin, if appropriate. But even then you need to be aware of potential interactions, such as with a drug like warfarin. While I am open minded to novel, nontraditional or homeopathic therapies, my own perspective is that I want evidence. We have no evidence in terms of many supplements, and without regulation and some consistency we can’t know what our patients are taking from day to day.
– Richard Page, MD
Professor and Head, Division of Cardiology at University of Washington School of Medicine