Weight Loss, Muscle Building, Sports Performance or Energy Supplements Linked to ‘Severe Medical Outcomes’

Moneylife Digital Team 14 June 2019

Life

According to a new research led by Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, consumption of dietary supplements, peddled for weight loss, muscle building and energy, may be linked to linked to nearly three times as many severe medical outcomes in children and young adults, compared to consumption of vitamins.

The study was published online on 5 June 2019 in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

In the US, Food and Drugs Administration (USFDA) has issued innumerable warnings about supplements aimed at weight loss, muscle building or sport performance, sexual function and energy, which are used by young people. The study was led by Flora Or, a researcher with Harvard Chan School's ‘strategic training initiative for the prevention of eating disorders’.

The data was drawn from adverse event reports between January 2004 and April 2015 in FDA’s adverse event reporting system on the food and dietary supplements database. The researchers analysed the risk for severe medical events which were defined as death, disability and hospitalisation in individuals aged 0 and 25 years.

The researchers found that there were 977 single-supplement-related adverse event reports for the target age group. Of those, approximately 40% involved death and hospitalisation. Offending supplements were associated with almost three times the risk for severe medical outcomes compared to those consuming vitamins. Among the worst were supplements sold for sexual function and colon-cleanse which were associated with approximately two times the risk for severe medical outcomes compared to vitamins.

Many of these supplements were found to be adulterated with prescription pharmaceuticals, banned substances, heavy metals, pesticides and other dangerous chemicals. Earlier, other studies have linked weight loss and muscle building supplements with stroke, testicular cancer, liver damage and even death.

Comments

User

NARESH GAJRIA

6 years ago

Names and Brands have not been specified. Is adulteration the main concern or the content?

tanay

6 years ago

Any muscle building supplement isha waste of money....you can build good muscle by eating natural high protein food and progressive resistance training