Prosecutors Target Herbal Supplements

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Washington Examiner:

Researchers announced Tuesday that they had discovered a stimulant banned by a sports doping agency in a weight-loss supplement, giving fresh ammunition to state politicians who want Congress to increase regulation of supplement safety.

 

The amphetamine-like stimulant was found in weight-loss supplements labeled as containing acacia rigidula. Researchers found that 11 out of 21 supplements tested positive for the substance.

 

While the stimulant has been around since the 1930s, it has never been found to be safe in humans, according to the study published Tuesday in the medical journal Drug Testing and Analysis.

 

It is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency because it is a performance enhancer.

 

The study's authors called for the Food and Drug Administration to immediately warn consumers about the substance called β-methylphenylethylamine and take "aggressive enforcement action" to eliminate it in supplements.

 

 

While the FDA can take enforcement actions against a supplement manufacturer, keeping these products from reaching the market in the first place is tougher.