By Hugh C. McBride
Most health care professionals and reputable weight loss experts dissuade overweight and obese individuals from using pills and "supplements" that are marketed for quick or easy weight loss. Though these experts may have a multitude of reasons for advising against the use of weight loss supplements, the argument against these substances can usually be summarized in two simple sentences:
1. They don't work.
2. They can harm your health.
Those who advise against using weight loss supplements have gained significant support in recent months from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the government agency that is tasked with overseeing the quality of the medications that are marketed, sold, prescribed, and used in the United States.
Three FDA Warnings
On Dec. 22, 2008, the FDA released a list of 25 dietary supplements that the agency was classifying as "tainted" because they contained undeclared active pharmaceutical ingredients. On Jan 8, 2009, the FDA added 44 more weight loss supplements to the "tainted" list, and on March 20, 2009, it upped the number of tainted weight loss supplements to 72.
Manufacturers of dietary supplements are not required to submit their products to the FDA for review and approval prior to selling the items in the United States, but according to the FDA website the tainted weight loss supplements fell under the administration's purview because of the undeclared ingredients:
Although some of the identified products are marketed as “dietary supplements,” all of these products should have been submitted to the FDA for approval as a new drug prior to marketing because products which contain an FDA approved drug such as sibutramine or an ingredient that does not supplement the diet, are not dietary supplements.
The Ingredients that Prompted the Warnings
According to a March 20, 2009 article on the WebMD website, the 72 weight loss supplements that are on the FDA's warning list have been identified as being dangerous because they contain the following substances:
• fenproporex – a controlled substance that is not approved for marketing in the U.S.
• fluoxetine – an antidepressant that is available in the U.S. only by prescription
• bumetanide – a potent diuretic (a drug that increases the elimination of water from the body) that is available only by prescription in the U.S.
• furosemide – another diuretic available by prescription only
• rimonabant – an anti-obesity and tobacco cessation drug that has not been approved by the FDA for marketing in the U.S.
• cetilistat – an experimental anti-obesity medication that has not earned FDA approval for use in the U.S.
• phenytoin – a prescription anti-seizure drug
• phenolphthalein – a possibly carcinogenic solution that is used in chemical experiments, and that has not been approved by the FDA for sale in the U.S.
The List of Tainted Weight Loss Supplements
As of April 30, 2009, the following 72 products have been identified as tainted weight loss supplements by the FDA (following the name of each product is the undeclared active ingredient that led to the product's inclusion on the list):
1. 2 Day Diet - sibutramine
2. 2 Day Diet Slim Advance - sibutramine
3. 2x Powerful Slimming - sibutramine
4. 3 Day Diet - sibutramine
5. 3 Days Fit - sibutramine
6. 3x Slimming Power – sibutramine, phenytoin
7. 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming - sibutramine
8. 7 Day Herbal Slim - sibutramine
9. 7 Days Diet - sibutramine
10. 7 Diet - sibutramine
11. 7 Diet Day/Night Formula - sibutramine
12. 8 Factor Diet – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
13. Eight Factor Diet - sibutramine
14. 21 Double Slim - sibutramine
15. 24 Hours Diet – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
16. 999 Fitness Essence - sibutramine
17. BioEmagrecim, sample 1 – fenproporex
BioEmagrecim, sample 2 – fluoxetine, furosemide
18. Body Creator – sibutramine
19. Body Shaping - sibutramine
20. Body Slimming - sibutramine
21. Cosmo Slim - sibutramine
22. Extrim Plus – sibutramine, phenytoin
23. Extrim Plus 24 Hour Reburn - sibutramine
24. Fasting Diet - sibutramine
25. Fatloss Slimming – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
26. GMP – sibutramine
27. Herbal Xenicol - cetilistat
28. Imelda Fat Reducer - sibutramine
29. Imelda Perfect Slim – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
30. JM Fat Reducer - sibutramine
31. Lida DaiDaihua - sibutramine
32. Meili - sibutramine
33. Meizitang - sibutramine
34. Miaozi MeiMiaoQianZiJiaoNang - sibutramine
35. Miaozi Slim Capsules - sibutramine
36. Natural Model - sibutramine
37. Perfect Slim - sibutramine
38. Perfect Slim 5x – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
39. Perfect Slim Up – sibutramine
40. Phyto Shape - rimonabant
41. Powerful Slim - sibutramine
42. ProSlim Plus - sibutramine
43. Reduce Weihgt - sibutramine
44. Royal Slimming Formula – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
45. Sana Plus - sibutramine
46. Slim 3 in 1 - sibutramine
47. Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Formula - sibutramine
48. Slim 3 in 1 Extra Slim Waist Formula - sibutramine
49. Slim 3 in 1 M18 Royal Diet - sibutramine
50. Slim 3 in 1 Slim Formula - sibutramine
51. Slim Burn - sibutramine
52. Slim Express 4 in 1 - sibutramine
53. Slim Express 360 - sibutramine
54. Slim Fast - sibutramine (FDA note: This product should not be confused with the line of meal replacement and related products marketed as conventional foods under the brand name “Slim-Fast®”. The manufacturer of Slim-Fast®, Unilever United States, Inc., maintains that the Slim Fast product which appears on this list is not in any way associated with, sponsored or approved by, or otherwise related in any way to the Slim-Fast® brand of meal replacement and related products.)
55. Slim Tech - sibutramine
56. Slim Up - sibutramine
57. Slim Waist Formula - sibutramine
58. Slim Waistline – sibutramine
59. Slimbionic- sibutramine
60. Sliminate - sibutramine
61. Slimming Formula - sibutramine
62. Somotrim – sibutramine
63. Starcaps - bumetanide
64. Super Fat Burner - sibutramine
65. Superslim – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
66. Super Slimming - sibutramine
67. Trim 2 Plus - sibutramine
68. Triple Slim - sibutramine
69. Venom Hyperdrive 3.0 - sibutramine
70. Waist Strength Formula – sibutramine
71. Xsvelten - sibutramine
72. Zhen de Shou – sibutramine, phenolphthalein
The FDA website reports that the agency has requested that the manufacturers of the products on its tainted weight loss supplement list recall these products. The site also indicates that the FDA "may take additional enforcement steps [against the manufacturers of the tainted weight loss supplements] to include warning letters, seizure, injunction, or criminal charges."
Healthy Weight Loss
Instead of using these or other dangerous substances, or following a fad diet or other quick-fix weight loss scheme, overweight and obese individuals should consult with their healthcare providers to devise a safe diet and exercise plan that will allow them to achieve and maintain a healthy weight with the least risk to their health.
Overweight and obese individuals who need more intensive intervention or comprehensive support may benefit most from enrolling in a residential weight loss program for teens or entering a residential weight loss center for adults.