Hydroxycut…cut it out!
In current breaking news we learned that dietary supplements are unhealthy. The one in the limelight today is Hydroxycut, a supplement used by people looking to lose weight or tighten muscles. After causing liver damage in many people and at least one death, the FDA decided to encourage people not to use it. They announced their findings the first of this month.
The company, based in Canada, has been forced to recall 14 of its products. Yet nobody really knows what’s causing the problems. The main culprit is hydroxycitric acid, which is derived from a fruit. Hydroxycut’s other primary ingredients are Garcinia cambogia, Gymnema sylvestre, chromium polynicotinate, caffeine and green tea.
Some of the serious symptoms some people are experiencing include jaundice and liver failure. One person has already received a liver transplant, supposedly, due to these complications, and another is on the waiting list for one.
Because the FDA doesn’t heavily regulate dietary supplements and is unable to regulate anything until it’s marketed, sometimes these products and their associated issues go unnoticed. It’s probably a good idea to avoid Hydroxycut since the real cause of the problems is yet undetermined. (This is mostly because the ingredients have changed multiple times.)
andrea @ May 14, 2009