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NEWS RELEASE

April 1, 2003

For More Information Contact: Rebecca Wilkowski, Phone:(800) 729-0941

Non-Ephedra Fat Burners Still Pose Health Risk

Some energy and weight-loss supplement companies are now promoting non-ephedra formulations such as Xenadrine-EFX, Thermo DynamX, and Thermoloss EF. These companies imply or explicitly state that their new products are safer than those products containing ephedra. However, these new pills contain numerous stimulants that have a similar, if not identical, effect on the body.

Both types of products stimulate the sympathetic nervous system into a "fight-or-flight" response. While a person’s appetite decreases and fat metabolism increases, their adrenal glands get overworked. As their blood pressure increases, so does the risk of heart attack and stroke. Over time, fight-or-flight can lead to "fat-burner burnout," the chronic fatigue of adrenal exhaustion.

Some common ingredients of these non-ephedra stimulant pills are phenylethylamine, octopamine, synephrine, DMAE, and quercitin. Ingredients that end with "-amine" are cousins to the amphetamines cocaine and methamphetamine. Phenylethylamine is the chemical that produces the chocolate-high. In sufficiently high doses, it causes cocaine-like effects. Octopamine, created by modifying the problematic amino acid tyramine, is another sympathetic stimulant.

Synephrine, a chemical from another misused Chinese herb (citrus aurantium, or zhi shi), appears to have a milder effect than ephedrine, but it still raises blood pressure, creating a similar risk of stroke and heart attack. DMAE, a natural brain chemical, causes the fight-or-flight response and can cause or worsen depression. Quercitin (which may be disguised in ingredient lists as 3,3',4',5-7 pentahydroxyflavone) is commonly found plant chemical, but both its proper dosage and drug-interactions are unknown. Also, studies show that quercitin caused kidney tumors in male rats to whom it was given for 2 years. 3,3',4',7 tetrahydroxy-flavone is a synthetic chemical; its effects and how it reacts with medications are unknown.

Not all of these chemicals are natural. Some chemicals are "orphaned" from natural plants, and some are patented synthetic alterations of natural chemicals. Even if a natural chemical is unmodified, it is no longer consumed naturally (in low dosages along with other natural plant buffers). Both the effects of orphaned and modified chemicals on the body and their interactions with medications are unknown.

Ma huang has been used safely and effectively for centuries among practitioners of Chinese medicine. In Chinese medicine, ma huang is not used to increase energy levels or promote weight loss. Rather, the herb is typically used as a remedy for asthma, coughs, congestion, and other lung problems. Licensed herbalists administer ma huang in much lower doses than the amounts typically found in Western diet pills and energy enhancers. When traditional Chinese herbal formulas use ma huang, it is for shorter periods of time and in conjunction with other herbs that serve to counteract and balance any of the negative side effects of ma huang. To date, there have not been any reported cases of death from ephedra use in China, where the herb is commonly prescribed.

To learn more about the safe and effective use of Chinese herbs, please contact Pacific College of Oriental Medicine at (800) 7290-941.

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