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The Secret Story behind the Hydroxycut Recalls
2009-05-21 |
The FDA loves a good fist fight with the supplement industry. It gives everyone the impression that they are the “good guys” out to protect the consumer against “dangerous” all-natural products.
And earlier this month, the FDA struck a knock-out. The all-natural dietary supplement Hydroxycut has been voluntarily yanked off the market following reports of liver damage, including one person who needed a liver transplant, and one related death.
Those are serious concerns, to be sure. But nevertheless, I’d like to put this whole fiasco into perspective.
Comparing apples to oranges?
Iovate Health Sciences Inc. made more than 750 different Hydroxycut products. They were used primarily to promote weight loss and used by body builders to refine muscle tone. Millions of consumers in more than 70 different countries used these products. Last year alone, Iovate sold more than 9 million boxes of the stuff.
So Iovate Inc. has sold millions and millions of products. And they’ve been linked to 23 adverse events (such as elevated liver enzymes and jaundice) and 1 death over the last seven years. Am I missing something? I don’t mean to sound glib, but that just doesn’t sound like overwhelming evidence considering the amount of the stuff sold.
So that got me wondering: How does Hydroxycut compare to popular prescription drugs? For example, what kind of “adverse events” get reported about an FDA-approved drug like Chantix (Varenicline)? Chantix is a prescription drug aimed at helping you quit smoking. It’s been on the market for three years and has been used by more than 6 million people.
But according to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, there were 910 adverse events linked to Chantix in the second quarter of 2008 alone. What kinds of adverse events are we talking about?
Well, as the ISMP report states, “From May 2006 through December 2007, the FDA received 227 domestic reports of suicidal acts, thoughts or behaviors, 397 cases of possible psychosis, and 525 reports of hostility or aggression. These totals included 28 cases of suicide and 41 mentions of homicidal ideation, 60 cases of paranoia, and 55 cases of hallucination.” In 2008, the Federal Aviation Administration had seen enough of Chantix. It banned airline pilots and air-traffic controllers from using the drug.
And yet, with just 23 adverse events over a 7-year-period, the FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products “in order to avoid any undue risk.” Meanwhile, Chantix is still on the market. Go figure.
And let us not forget about the dozens of prescription drugs the FDA has approved over the last 25 years that have gotten pulled from the market after raising serious safety concerns, including: Vioxx, Zelnorm, Bextra, and Baycol, just to name a few.
Now, I’m not saying that Hydroxycut should stay on the market. I’d just like to keep the severity of the problem in perspective.
Here’s what worries me most: For every Hydroxycut fiasco, the FDA inches another step closer to regulating supplements like drugs. And that’s not good news for anyone. Can you imagine having to go to the doctor to get a prescription for vitamin C or vitamin D for Pete’s sake?
Here’s what I recommend…
Taking another route all together
In the wake of the Hydroxycut mess, you may want to consider a simpler, no-nonsense approach to weight loss that begins with a healthy diet full of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. You’ve also got to cut out the sugar and processed foods. You stick with that game plan and you’ll always come out ahead.
I’m also a big believer -- as longtime Guide to Good Health readers know -- in the benefits of probiotics. These “good bacteria” (also known as intestinal flora) help regulate your digestion.
Plus, Finnish scientists presented a study this month that suggests probiotics could help women manage their weight following pregnancy. In fact, researchers found that probiotic supplements containing Lactobacillus LGG and Bifidobacterium lactis were associated with a healthy BMI. Here are the study details…
During the study, 256 women were randomly divided into three groups during the first trimester of pregnancy:
1. Women receiving dietary counseling and a daily probiotic
2. Women receiving dietary counseling and a placebo
3. Women receiving no dietary counseling and a placebo
The regimen for each group continued throughout their pregnancy until the women stopped breastfeeding their newborns. Researchers then reevaluated the women’s weight and waist circumference after they stopped breastfeeding.
So how did the women do?
Researcher Kirsi Laitinen from the University of Turku in Finland told Nutraingredients-USA.com: “The women who got the probiotics fared best. One year after childbirth, they had the lowest body fat percentage."
Plus -- the average body fat percentage was 28 percent in the probiotic group. The dietary counseling group had an average of 29 percent body fat. And the control group -- who received no dietary advice or probiotic supplementation -- had an average of 30 percent body fat.
What I found most encouraging is that fewer women who took the daily probiotic ended up carrying fat around their midsections. In fact, 18 percent fewer in the probiotic group compared to 15 percent in the control group!
More about probiotics
The Finnish study is great first step in the right direction. I’d like to see many more studies down the road exploring the relationship between weight and probiotic use. For example, how do men over 55 do? And what about post-menopausal women? Do they all lose fat in their midsection too?
We all know the U.S. isn’t the most health conscious of countries. But it does lead the way in developing new probiotic food products, such as cheese and yogurt products containing live cultures. But many yogurt products on the market today contain only 2 strains of healthy bacteria. Plus -- many only contain about 100 million active cultures of bacteria per serving at the time of production.
Sure -- that sounds like a lot of bacteria, I know. But, ideally you should get billions of units per day. (It‘s a case where more usually is better and the risk of toxicity is virtually nil.)
NorthStar Nutritionals makes a probiotic supplement called “Healthy Gut” that contains 21 billion active cultures in every capsule. While we don’t know whether it’s effective for weight management, we do know that it improves regularity and promotes healthy digestion
If you’d like more information about Healthy Gut, click on this link: http://www.northstarnutritionals.com/p/Healthy_Gut.htm
In the meantime, help manage your weight with a healthy diet.
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