The Department of Health and Human ...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) lately announced a number of actions designed to save Americans from the potentially serious risks of dietary correlative products containing ephedra. The eventuates of a RAND corporation research commissioned by the National Institutes of Health provided evidence that ephedra may be associated with health risks and establish only limited evidence of health benefits resulting from the use of ephedra. The U subsistence and Drug Administration (FDA) and HH actions include: (1) seeking rapid public observation on the new evidence forward health risks associated with ephedra to establish an up-to-date record to support modern restrictions on ephedra-containing products; (2) seeking remark on whether the currently available evidence not past nor futures a "significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury" from dietary fill ups containing ephedra; (3) seeking exposition on a strong new warning label upon any ephedra products that continue to be marketed; and (4) immediate execution of a series of actions against ephedra consequences making unsubstantiated claims about sports performance enhancement. The FDA also propos a label for all ephedra-containing dietary counterparts that warns about the risks of serious adverse marked occurrences including heart attack, seizure, shock and death, and cautions that these risks can increase with the dose, strenuous exercise, and with the concomitant use of other stimulants like as caffeine. Ephedra is a naturally occurring substance derived from the Chinese herb ma huang, and its principal active ingredient is ephedrine, which when chemically synthesized is regulated as a medicine Products containing natural ephedrine have been used to prefer weight loss, enhance sports performance, and increase energy

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

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