A study conducted by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco shows that the dietary supplement Ephedra may pose serious health risks for its users. The study, which was scheduled to appear in the December 21st 2000 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, was actually published earlier at the request of the editors. This decision was made after scientists realized that the survey revealed "potential clinical and public health implications" for the dietary supplement Ephedra. The New England Journal of Medicine rarely publishes articles earlier than the scheduled date and only when the information relates to public health concerns.
UC San Francisco scientists reviewed 140 reports of Ephedra related health concerns submitted to the Food and Drug Administration and found that at least 43 of those cases were "definitely" or "probably" caused by Ephedra. Of those, at least three resulted in death. Seven of the 43 cases resulted in permanent injuries.
Because Ephedra is sold as a food item, it is not regulated as a drug by the FDA. Ephedra is marketed as a dietary aid and the makers of the supplement are resistant to FDA warning labels. The FDA, however, has noted that Ephedra may cause nervousness, insomnia, hypertension, seizure, accelerated heartbeats, heart attacks, and strokes.
Due to the fact that the study shows "that Ephedra as sold in dietary supplement form is a public health threat," Bruce Silverglade from the Center for Science in the Public Interest believes that "the evidence is now in. This study should provide a basis for the FDA to move ahead with regulatory limits on its sale."
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