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News from Cambridge Health Alliance
April 5, 2010
Harvard Researchers Find Ingredients in Contaminated
Dietary Supplements to be Addictive
Cambridge, MA…Weight loss supplements are used by approximately
20 million Americans each year. These consumers may be at risk.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has detected
undeclared and potentially harmful medications in dozens of these
supplements. A new report by Harvard Medical School researchers
at Cambridge Health Alliance demonstrates the addictive potential
of these products.
The case report, published online today in the American Journal
on Addictions, focuses on a dangerous subset of weight loss
pills, referred to by the FDA as "Brazilian diet pills,"
which contain amphetamines, tranquilizers, and antidepressants.
These pills are sold online and advertised as a "natural"
weight loss supplements. Research has previously shown they cause
a variety of symptoms, including chest pain, racing heart, and insomnia,
and they have triggered positive urine tests for amphetamines. The
psychiatric consequences of consuming these contaminated products
are poorly understood.
In their study, authors Pieter Cohen, MD, and Benjamin Smith of
Harvard Medical School describe a woman who became dependent on
the Brazilian diet pills and was unable to stop, despite increasing
harm. The 29-year-old subject increased her daily dose of the pills
and did not stop using them for four years even though she couldn't
afford them. When she attempted to stop, she experienced symptoms
of withdrawal including tremor, headache, cravings, and anxiety.
Only with the help of psychiatrists was she able to stop using the
diet pills. This case affirms that the ingredients in some contaminated
dietary supplements can lead to serious psychiatric consequences.
"Neither consumers nor physicians can distinguish between
safe and dangerous supplements," said Dr. Cohen, an Instructor
in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. He has conducted research
into the composition of the adulterated pills and, as a General
Internist at Cambridge Health Alliance, has seen the high prevalence
of use of amphetamine-based diet pills among his patients.
The addictive potential of weight loss pills sold as dietary supplements
further strengthens calls for reform of the Dietary Supplement Health
and Education Act (DSHEA). DSHEA does not require that manufactures
prove that supplements are safe before selling them in the U.S.
"Our finding that the Brazilian diet pills can be addictive
provides further evidence that regulatory reform is necessary to
ensure the safety of supplements sold in the U.S.," Dr. Cohen
concluded.
"Dependence on the Brazilian Diet Pill: a Case Report"
published by the American Journal on Addictions. E-publication
ahead of print. Authors: Benjamin R. Smith and Pieter A. Cohen.
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