Ephedra: Lots of Hype, Lots of Risks

Unfortunately, hundreds of thousands of Americans do -- a fact driven home recently with the death of Major League Baseball pitching prospect Steve Bechler, who was using the controversial supplement ephedra prior to suffering a heatstroke that proved fatal. Though ephedrine has not yet been isolated as a direct cause of Bechler’s death, it is known that he was taking three tablets a day in an effort to lose weight during spring training.

At Auburn University, Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist and professor of food and nutrition, says the player’s tragic death should serve as a stark reminder of the potential risks associated with ephedra and other supplement products.

“Federal law requires pharmaceutical companies to spend millions of dollars every year testing drugs before they are placed on the market,” Keith says. “But that is not the case with supplements.”

“The supplement industry doesn’t need upfront money for product testing because they’re not required by law to do this testing,” he adds. “All they have to do is make the product and put it on the market.”

While conceding more consumers are aware of this fact than ever before, Keith says the Bechler’s needless death is a sad reminder that millions of Americans continue to purchase these products without the slightest idea of the risks involved.

In the case of ephedra, there is a clear pattern of serious side effects, including rapid heartbeat, insomnia, nausea, headaches, vomiting and urination problems. People with heart and kidney problems are especially susceptible to ephedra.

Poison control centers have reported almost 1,200 cases with side effects associated with ephedra use, while the Food and Drug Administration has linked the product to nearly 90 deaths and 1,500 reports of health problems.

Even so, Americans continue to shell out big bucks -- to the tune of $1.5 billion annually -- for ephedrine products.

The product is sold in a wide variety of forms, often in herbal products marketed under the names ephedra and ma huang. Numerous other products most often marketed as weight-loss or energy-boosting products contain the chemical agent of ephedra, known as ephedrine.

Ironically, despite heavy demand for ephedra products, they have never been shown to produce any significant weight loss.

“At best, you may lose a few pounds, but are you willing to lose your health and possibly your life for this?” he asks. “There are other, more effective ways to lose extra pounds. Yes, these may be more difficult alternatives of diet and exercise – but in the long term, they’re not only a lot safer but far more effective.”

People who insist on using a stimulant to quicken their pace should settle for caffeine, a far safer alternative, Keith says. As it turns out, ephedra was once used in the United States in decongestant and asthma medications into the 1930s, though doctors stopped prescribing it in favor of safer medicines.

In terms of safety and testing, what holds true for ephedrine also holds for other supplement products, he says. While some herbal “remedies” have been shown to produce certain effects, there is no guarantee you will get the desired effects from the products you buy.

“Some of these products may be effective at a certain level of dosage,” Keith says “but there’s no absolute guarantee that what is in the product will help you.”

That, he adds, is one of the added complications associated with ephedra and other supplement products. Because supplements are a largely unregulated product, there is no way of knowing what really is in the products you buy.

“Some products that have been tested by independent groups have only minuscule amounts of the supplement advertised, while, in some cases, they may contain almost twice these levels,” he says. “That is why people who insist on using these products should be extra careful.”

The American Medical Association advises consumers not to use ephedra, which has been banned by the International Olympic Committee, the National Football League, and National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Unfortunately, Keith says, ephedra-related supplements are not likely to be phased out anytime soon.

“Ephedra is causing a lot of problems, but supplement manufacturers aren’t likely to take it off the market anytime soon because it’s a moneymaker.”

“And besides, the supplement industry has a lot of political clout -- lots of money and lots of lobbyists. And when you have lots of political influence and lots of money, you’re very hard to beat.”

(Source: Dr. Robert Keith, Extension Nutritionist and Auburn University Professor of Nutrition and Foods, 334-844-3273.)

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