Ephedra is safe and effective for weight loss

 

The FDA will ban ephedra again, and that is too bad. Here's why:

The wisdom of the FDA ban on ephedra has again been called into question, this time by a double-blind placebo controlled study of weight loss supplements published in the International Journal of Obesity. The study is entitled “Multinutrient supplement containing ephedra and caffeine causes weight loss and improves metabolic risk factors in obese women: a randomized controlled trial.”

Ephedra Study Results

Forty-one women completed the ephedra study. The treatment group lost significantly more body weight (-7.18 kg) and body fat (-5.33 kg) than the control group (-2.25 and -0.99 kg, respectively), and showed significant declines in heart rate, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein ratio, glucose, fasting insulin, and leptin. Blood pressure, electrocardiograms, other clinical chemistry measures, blood histology, urinalysis, and self-reported physical activity were similar in the groups. Minor symptoms included dry mouth, insomnia, nervousness and palpitations. The treatment group reported more energy and decreased appetite compared to controls and scored higher on a quality of life domain assessing vitality.

Conclusion: A dietary supplement containing a low potency ephedra/caffeine mixture appeared safe and effective in causing loss of weight and body fat, and improving several metabolic parameters, including insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles when tested under physician supervision. Such supplements could be a useful tool to assist with weight loss.

Ephedra Seized by FDA from Hi-Tech

FDA announced more ephedra seizures last Friday, this time from Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, an Atlanta area supplement maker. This time, FDA has gone after what it describes as $3M in product marketed under the brand names “Lipodrene,” “Stimerex-ES,” and “Betadrene.”

The FDA press release also notes the following at the bottom:

Hi-Tech has previously filed a lawsuit against FDA seeking to prevent the agency from enforcing the 2004 rule declaring dietary supplements containing ephedrine alkaloids to be adulterated. The United States recently moved to dismiss that lawsuit, which is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

The complaint in Hi-Tech v. Crawford, posted here, makes for an interesting read, and way too much to comment on in this short blog posting. Essentially, Hi-Tech is asking the court to apply the decision of the Utah District Court in Nutraceutical Corp. v. Crawford to all products containing ephedra.

Ephedra Products