Heart Assn. Urges Ban of Ephedra Sales
The American Heart Assn. on Thursday urged a ban of over-the-counter ephedra supplements, saying they do more harm than good.
The association said it supported a Food and Drug Administration proposal to limit the manufacture and marketing of ephedra-based dietary supplements, but said it would go even further and ban them.
“Consumers who take these products may think they are doing something good for their health, but the truth is they may be putting themselves at serious risk,” Dr. Robert Bonow, the Heart Assn. president, said in a statement.
“There is no such thing as a magic weight-loss pill, and anyone who takes these products looking for a quick fix is misleading themselves.”
The Heart Assn. said it was not referring to prescription drugs containing ephedrine or over-the-counter pseudoephe- drine cough and cold medicines.
Ephedra, derived from the Chinese herb ma huang, is an adrenaline-like stimulant affecting the heart and nervous system.
Manufacturers of the supplement have insisted their product is safe when taken as directed, but some consumer groups are lobbying to have ephedra products banned completely.
A Rand Corp. study released last month reviewed 16,000 adverse-event reports and found two deaths, four heart attacks and nine strokes involving ephedra.
Researchers in San Francisco said they had found that ephedra is responsible for 64% of all adverse reactions reported from herb use, although ephedra accounts for less than 1% of such supplements sold.
The National Football League, International Olympic Committee and NCAA have banned ephedra use by players.
A medical examiner in Florida said ephedra contributed to the Feb. 17 death of Baltimore Oriole pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who collapsed during spring training.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department and the FDA have proposed new labels on ephedra products warning of the dangers.
The HHS has also said it would consider banning ephedra if enough evidence can be found to support that action.
