The Ministry of Health in Belize has issued a public advisory, after receiving notification from the Unites States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), through the International Health Regulations of the World Health Organization, on 6 weight loss products and 2 sexual enhancement drugs, which contain hidden ingredients which health authorities warn could lead to heart failure and other dire health effects.
The FDA has warned of “a growing trend of dietary supplements or conventional foods with hidden drugs and chemicals.”
Six slimming products are listed: Dr. Ming’s Chinese Capsules, 7 Days Herbal Slim, Slimming Diet Berry Plus, Asset Extreme, SlimEasy Herbs Capsules and Meizitang Citrus.
“Consumers are advised not to purchase or use the following products that are promoted and sold for weight loss on websites or in retail stores,” the ministry said.
These products contain sibutramine, a controlled substance removed from the market for safety reasons in October 2010, said the Belize Ministry of Health.
FDA warnings say that this ingredient can substantially increase blood pressure and/or pulse rate in some patients and may present a significant risk for patients with a history of coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, or stroke.
It furthermore warned that sibutramine may also interact, in life-threatening ways, with other medication that a consumer may be taking.
According to the FDA, “These products are typically promoted for sexual enhancement, weight loss, and body building and are often represented as being ‘all natural.’” However, the FDA says that it is unable to test and identify all products marketed as dietary supplements that have potentially harmful hidden ingredients, and therefore consumers should exercise caution before purchasing them.
The Belize Ministry of Health also warns consumers about the purchase and use of CONTROL All Natural Sexual Enhancement and Best Whips.
The FDA warns that laboratory analysis has found that Best Whips contains an ingredient it identifies as sildenafil – the active ingredient in the FDA-approved prescription drug Viagra, which is used to treat erectile dysfunction (ED). This ingredient, it said, “may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.”
It cautions men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease, who often take nitrates, to be especially on the alert, but it advises consumers in general to “stop using this product immediately and throw it away.”
According to the FDA, CONTROL All Natural Sexual Enhancement contains the undeclared ingredients: sulfoaildenafil and dimethylsildenafil, which are structurally similar to sildenafil.
It cautions that, “These undeclared ingredients may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels,” and adds the caution for men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart disease, who often take nitrates.
Again, it advises consumers with this product to “throw it away.”
The Belize Ministry of Health advises users who have experienced any negative side effects from these products to consult a health care professional as soon as possible.