Posts Tagged ‘dietary supplements’

If you’re like me, you probably assume that vitamin and herbal supplements are good for you and don’t think there are any risks involved with these so-called “natural” products.  However, testing over the past decade has shown that we’re both wrong.  We recently reported on quality problems in the supplements market.  The most recent controversy over supplements was the recall of Hydroxycut, a popular diet supplement.

ConsumerLab.com, an independent company that tests pills for manufacturers that want its seal of approval, and publishes ratings for subscribers, has found that one quarter of the supplements tested have had some form of quality problem.  Sometimes the supplements contained ingredients that did not match what the label stated, ranging from contaminants that were not listed to ingredients that either fell short of the amount claimed or exceeded safe limits.  Other “natural” supplements in reality contained hidden prescription drugs, which can sometimes pose significant health risks. 

Diet pills have been frequently used supplements in our society over the past decade or so, but these do not come without risk either.  A popular diet drug called ephedra was banned by the FDA in 2004 after it was found to cause serious heart problems, seizures, and even deaths.  On May 1, 2009, the FDA warned consumers to stop using Hydroxycut diet pills after receiving 23 reports of Hydroxycut side effects, including liver damage, jaundice, seizures, cardiovascular disorders, and rhabdomyolisis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure. 

Consumers should be careful in choosing their dietary supplements to avoid these quality problems, and be aware of their options if they have suffered the ill effects of these hidden dangers.  Some harmful side effects may give rise to legal action, such as Hydroxycut lawsuits.  For more information, contact a Hydroxycut lawyer today.