Doctors say ephedra should be restricted
Date: 04-02-2003
Posted by: Anabolic Info TeamUnited States |
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Ephedra, an herb found in weight-loss and bodybuilding supplements, is unsafe even when taken in recommended doses and should be restricted, according to doctors who studied reports of bad reactions to the herb.
U.S. poison control centers reported 1,178 adverse reactions to ephedra dietary supplements in 2001, said the study, which was posted on the Annals of Internal Medicine's Web site today and is to be published in the journal next month.
Ephedra accounted for 64 percent of all adverse reactions involving herbs, even though it is found in fewer than 1 percent of all herbal products sold, it said.
"It comes down to a risk-benefit ratio," said one of the report's lead authors, Stephen Bent, of the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "The benefits for ephedra are not at all well established. It is a minimal benefit that goes away when you stop using the product. And the risks are really substantial."
The study, based on data collected by the American Association of Poison Control Centers, is just the latest assault on ephedra's safety. The Food and Drug Administration has reports of nearly 100 deaths of people who had taken the herb, a stimulant that can quicken a person's heart rate and cause their blood vessels to constrict.
The American Medical Association has advised people not to use ephedra. It has been banned by the International Olympic Committee, the National Football League and the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The Bush administration ordered a review of ephedra's safety in June.
Wes Seigner, a lawyer for the Ephedra Education Council, a group funded by the supplement industry, insisted the herb can be used safely.
He noted that the study compared ephedra only to other herbs, including such mild agents as ginseng and St. John’s wort, and not to medications used by people trying to lose weight.
The study also didn’t explore the seriousness of the reactions reported to poison centers, Seigner said. Some of the reported side effects could be as benign as a headache, he said.
