FDA Warns About Weight Loss Products( Agency says more than 2 dozen contain...),Health

Agency says more than 2 dozen contain dangerous ingredients not listed on label

MONDAY, Dec. 22 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers Monday to avoid more than two dozen products marketed for weight loss because they contain undeclared ingredients that could pose serious health risks.

The products are sold in some retail stores and on the Internet and some claim to contain only "natural" or "herbal" ingredients. But the undeclared ingredients (not listed on labels) range from an anti-seizure medication to a suspected carcinogen, the FDA said.

The FDA identified the weight loss products as: Fatloss Slimming, Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet, 7 Day Herbal Slim, 999 Fitness Essence, Imelda Perfect Slim, Perfect Slim, ProSlim Plus, Slim Express 360, Superslim, Venom Hyperdrive 3.0, 2 Day Diet, 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming, 8 Factor Diet, Extrim Plus, Lida DaiDaihua, Perfect Slim 5x, Royal Slimming Formula, Slimtech, TripleSlim, 3x Slimming Power, 3 Day Diet, 7 Diet Day/Night Formula, GMP, Miaozi Slim Capsules, Phyto Shape, Slim 3 in 1, Somotrim, and Zhen de Shou.

"These tainted weight loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and, in some cases, contain prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages," Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a news release. "Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that could cause serious health consequences. Therefore, FDA is taking this action to protect the health of the American public."

The FDA said an analysis found that the undeclared ingredients in some of these products include sibutramine (a controlled substance), rimonabant (a drug not approved for marketing in the United States), phenytoin (an anti-seizure medication), and phenolphthalein (a solution used in chem
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