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Schumer seeks ban on dietary supplements with stimulants

Senator says ‘hidden drugs’ can cause health problems

April 14, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer says that certain dietary and workout supplements contain hidden drugs that are dangerous. File photo by Bill Kotsatos
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Losing weight can come at a high price for those who take dietary supplements, according to U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, who said many of the most popular brands on the market contain hidden drugs that can cause serious health problems.

Schumer (D-NY) said many supplements used by Americans contain a powerful stimulant called BMPEA, which closely resembles amphetamine and can become addictive.

He is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to place an immediate ban on widely used dietary supplements that contain BMPEA.

The supplements are marketed as healthy, natural products that aid in weight loss or enhance the results of exercise.

BMPEA has been proven to increase blood pressure, suppress sleep and lead to other complications, like stroke, Schumer said.

Scientists who tested the contents of several brands of supplements found that JetFuel Superburn, JetFuel T-3000, MX-LS7, Aro Black Series Burn, Black Widow, Dexaprine XR, Fastin-XR, Lipodrene Hardcore, Lipodrene Xtreme, Stimerex-ES and Yellow Scorpion all contained BMPEA, according to a recent New York Times article.

BMPEA is not listed on any product labels, according to Schumer, who said that consumers might not even be aware that their favorite supplements contain an addictive stimulant.

And when it is listed on the label, the chemical is often called a “botanical” and is made to sound like a natural ingredient, Schumer charged.

The New York Times article revealed that the FDA is aware that widely sold supplements contain BMPEA. The chemical is often mislabeled as Acacia rigidula, a plant whose extract is used in natural botanical compound.

Schumer is also urging the FDA to hold all companies accountable for withholding facts behind the hazardous chemical and for marketing them as natural botanical products.

“The FDA has all the proof it needs to exercise their authority and take these dietary and workout pills off store shelves, but consumers still know none of the risks,” Schumer said. “The FDA’s report showing that widely used dietary supplements contain a hidden, hazardous chemical is jaw dropping. The FDA should ban these tainted supplements immediately and make sure the companies involved are held accountable.”

In 2014, FDA scientists tested 21 supplements containing Acacia rigidula. Of the supplements tested, nine were found to contain BMPEA. The report was published in the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis.

Schumer said that the findings in the report are shocking and that consumers should have been warned about this potentially harmful chemical and the products in which it is found.

On March 9, Vitamin Shoppe, a popular chain of stores, announced that it would stop selling products containing Acacia rigidula.

 

 

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