Harvard Researcher Calling for Ban on Weight Loss Supplement, DMAA
May 9th, 2012 tmccoy
Another popular weight-loss supplement has serious negative implications for the health of its users, the FDA has just warned. DMAA, which is an amphetamine-like substance, is very similar in its effects to ephedra, which was banned by the FDA back in 2004 after it was shown to cause a number of heart-related problems in its users, including heart attacks.
DMAA has come under the FDA’s scrutiny after a Harvard Medical School researcher published a letter stating that DMAA has caused documented cases of:
- panic attacks
- seizures
- heart attacks
- strokes
- deaths
The researcher even suggests that the drug may be more potent than ephedra. The US Army recently banned DMAA after 2 soldiers died of heart attacks following use of products containing the supplement. In addition, the makers of products containing DMAA have been accused of misleading the public as to the nature of the substance. Makers try to claim that it is organic, although the truth is that the plant which they claim
produce DMAA in actuality only contains less than 1% of the compound in its natural state. GNC Holdings Inc., which makes a number of products that contain DMAA, including Jack3D and Oxy Elite Pro, has denied that the product is dangerous and calls for more testing to be done.
