New research shows that many weight loss supplements readily available to consumers contain at least one ingredient, such as ephedra or dimethylamylamine (DMAA), that is banned by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) or is advised against for use in dietary supplements. Fifty-one products were identified from retail stores with at least one banned or discouraged-use ingredient on the product label. Ingredients were identified as “discouraged-use” based on adverse event reporting on the FDA website. Out of the 51 products, 33% contained at least one ingredient that is banned and 90% contained at least one ingredient that is discouraged. Sports and nutrition retail stores offered the greatest number of products with banned or discouraged-use ingredients.
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