Drug a Factor in One Death

The dietary supplement ephedrine contributed to the heart attack death last month of a semi-pro football player, a finding likely to intensify a national debate about the safety of the over-the-counter substance used by many athletes.

Curt Jones, 34, a former three-sport star at San Pedro High who lived in Utah, was one of 12 football players whose deaths this year raised nationwide awareness about supplement use and the rigors of the game. Two of the players who died also had traces of ephedrine in their systems, but Jones’ autopsy results are the first to list the powerful stimulant as a contributing factor of death.

“This was a preexisting heart condition that was exacerbated by his use of the drugs,” Clark County (Nev.) Coroner Ron Fludsaid Thursday.

In addition to ephedrine, the autopsy found the presence phenylpropanolamine in Jones’ body, according to Flud.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration took steps last November to remove phenylpropanolamine, also known as PPA, from the market and requested that all drug companies discontinue making products containing PPA because of its possible link to brain hemorrhages and strokes. The substance was used in over-the-counter and prescription cold medicines, and in weight-loss products.

The defensive lineman and fullback for the little-known U.S. Inside Football League collapsed and died after an Aug. 7 game in Las Vegas. Before the game, the father of four and teammate James Mosley took two capsules of a supplement called Up My Gas, which contains ma-huang, an herb used to make ephedrine, according to the product’s Website. Representatives could not be reached late Thursday for comment.

“We’d been taking that for over two years since we’ve been playing together,” Mosley said. “Myself and Curt always took two [capsules]. Some other guys took more. It gives you adrenaline once you get out on the field. Everything moves faster.”

According to the FDA, ephedrine is suspected of causing at least 80 deaths since 1994 and can be commonly found in dietary supplements available in supermarkets and health food stores. Manufacturers often promote the use of such products as a way to boost energy and enhance athletic performance.

But medical experts say that ephedrine can put a dangerous strain on the heart when coupled with pulse-pounding exercise, especially in athletes with preexisting heart conditions.

“If you have an underlying coronary disease, ephedrine could precipitate rhythm disturbances,” said Dr. Robert Chesne, chief of cardiology at Centinela Hospital Medical Center.

Jones’ wife said neither she nor her husband were aware of his heart condition. Jones had been pronounced fit after a physical in June 2000, she said.

From her home in Orem, Utah, Daria Jones said Thursday she was saddened to hear the stimulant contributed to her husband’s death.

“It just pays to stay away from a lot of things,” she said. “That’s just what seems so sad. [Ephedrine] is not illegal, but if anything can come out of this I hope that it’ll scare people away from it.”

A college player, Rashidi Wheeler, 22, of Ontario, died Aug. 3 while running a rigorous conditioning drill at Northwestern. Wheeler also had ephedrine in his system, according to a coroner’s report that listed cause of death as exercise-induced bronchial asthma.

Efforts to curb ephedrine sales were met with resistance this week in California and Texas. On Thursday, the California Assembly Appropriations Committee stalled a bill sponsored by state Sen. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) that would prohibit the sale to minors of supplements containing ephedrine.

On Wednesday, officials in Texas suspended enforcement of a regulation designed to protect athletes and other users of supplements that contain ephedrine.

Manufacturers of ephedrine face little federal oversight. Under a law passed by Congress in 1994, dietary supplement manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe, but the supplements do not require FDA approval before going on the market

“I’m not going to give up,” Speier said. “I’m not willing to do that on this bill because peoples’ lives are at stake. The mountain of evidence is chilling. People are dying.”

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Bresnahan reported from Los Angeles and Gorman reported from Las Vegas.

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