From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hydroxycut
Hydroxycut
Hydroxycut is the brand name of a series of dietary sup- the risk of serious side effects or death. The manufactur-
plements marketed as an aid to weight loss. According to er then recalled the products,[3] although a new formula-
a 2009 paper in the World Journal of Gastroenterology, Hy- tion of Hydroxycut weight loss products has been created
droxycut is the most popular brand of weight-loss sup- and is being sold.[4]
plement, selling approximately 1 million units per
year.[1][2] On May 1, 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Admin-
istration (FDA) issued a warning after some Hydroxycut
2003 lawsuit for false advertis-
products were linked to liver damage, rhabdomyolysis, ing
and at least one death. The manufacturer then recalled
On March 27, 2003, Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon
the products.[3] Shortly after the recall, Hydroxycut was
filed a lawsuit in St. Louis against Hydroxycut’s manufac-
"reformulated" with reportedly some different ingredi-
turer MuscleTech Research and Development, Inc stating
ents and placed back for sale.[4]
that claims Hydroxycut was "clinically proven" to be a
"fat-burner" were false, specifically:[6]
Background "The product is not "clinically proven" to be a "fat-
Hydroxycut is sold at conventional retailers, online re- burner," as MuscleTech claims. MuscleTech’s own
tailers, and through direct television marketing. Prior study showed that Hydroxycut has no efficacy as
to May 2009, its primary ingredients included Garcinia compared to placebo with the possible exception of
cambogia, Gymnema sylvestre, Citrus Aurantium, chromium an appetite-suppressing effect. Moreover, the
polynicotinate, caffeine, and green tea. Like many nu- serious adverse health risks of Hydroxycut with
traceuticals, according to the New York Times, its efficacy ephedra – including death – were not adequately
has been questioned and not well-supported by re- described or disclosed in marketing and labelling
search.[5] of the product."
Hydroxycut was promoted as being created and en-
Nixon also alleged that the "before" and "after" pho-
dorsed by doctors. Television advertisements for Hy-
tographs were misleading, and that one woman’s "be-
droxycut featured Jon Marshall, a graduate of Midwest-
fore" photo was deceptive because she was recently
ern University’s osteopathic medical school, and still in
pregnant.[7] MuscleTech paid $100,000 to settle the case
residency. Hydroxycut was also endorsed by its formu-
while denying any wrongdoing.[8]
lator, Marvin Heuer, Associate Clinical Professor in the
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health
at the University of Florida, and Former Chief Scientific FDA warning and subsequent
Officer of Iovate Health Sciences, the company that mar-
kets the product.
recall
The New York Times reported in 2003 that internal On May 1, 2009, the FDA issued a warning to consumers to
documents from the manufacturer of Hydroxycut indi- stop using Hydroxycut products, due to 23 reports of se-
cated that the company buried studies showing that Hy- rious health problems associated with the use of Hydrox-
droxycut was ineffective, covered up evidence of cardiac ycut, and at least one death.[9]
side effects, and even tampered with the documents it In one study, reported in the American Journal of
submitted as evidence in the lawsuit.[5] An accurate as- Gastroenterology, researchers analyzed 17 cases of liver
sessment of the safety of dietary supplements in the damage among Hydroxycut users that had not yet ap-
United States, including Hydroxycut and other weight peared in the medical literature. Nine of the cases had
loss supplements, is hampered by a lack of oversight and been reported to the FDA, while eight were seen by the
regulation of the supplement industry.[2] authors of the study. Looking at factors like patients’ risk
Ultimately, scientific evidence of serious side effects factors for liver disease and the timing of their Hydroxy-
from Hydroxycut products accumulated, including liver cut use, the researchers found that for eight of the liver-
failure (requiring liver transplantation in some cases), damage cases, there was a greater than 95 percent likeli-
rhabdomyolysis, and at least one death, of a 19-year-old hood that the weight-loss aid was to blame.[10]
man who used the product. On May 1, 2009, the U.S. Food While some industry sources defended the safety of
and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning to con- Hydroxycut and believed the media "over-hyped" the
sumers to stop using Hydroxycut immediately because of FDA withdrawal, others questioned why Iovate had not
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hydroxycut
published long term safety or efficacy studies on the final [8] "Distributor of diet supplement that contained
Hydroxycut products despite having the money to per- ephedra pays Missouri $100,000 under agreement
form such studies and the self-promoted reputation as with Attorney General Nixon" (Press release).
being "research-oriented." The editors of the nutrition Missouri Attorney General’s office. May 4, 2004.
trade journal Nutrition Business Journal noted that this re- http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2004/
call "will ultimately be a good thing for the dietary sup- 050404.htm.
plement industry if it encourages weight-loss supple- [9] "FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Using Hydroxycut
ment manufacturers to care as much about their prod- Products". U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
ucts’ safety and efficacy as they do about expanding and http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/
protecting their bottom lines."[11] ConsumerUpdates/ucm152152.htm.
[10] Fong, TL; Klontz, KC; Canas-Coto, A; Casper, SJ;
References Durazo, FA; Davern Tj, 2nd; Hayashi, P; Lee, WM et
al. (2010). "Hepatotoxicity due to hydroxycut: a
[1] "Weight control a high priority". Chain Drug Review case series.". The American journal of gastroenterology
30:
30 30. 2008. ISSN 0164-9914. 105 (7): 1561–6. doi:10.1038/ajg.2010.5.
[2] ^ Ano Lobb (2009-04-14). "Hepatoxicity associated PMID 20104221.
with weight-loss supplements: A case for better [11] "Weight-Loss Supplement Sales Plummet
post-marketing surveillance". World J Gastroenterol Following Iovate’s Hydroxycut Recall". Nutrition
15 (14): 1786–7. doi:10.3748/wjg.15.1786. Business Journal.
PMC 2668789. PMID 19360927. http://subscribers.nutritionbusinessjournal.com/
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/ supplements/0901-weightloss-supplement-sales-
articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2668789. down/
[3] ^ Associated Press (May 1, 2009). "FDA warns wall.html?return=http://subscribers.nutritionbusinessjournal.com
dieters: Stop Hydroxycut use now". MSNBC. supplements/0901-weightloss-supplement-sales-
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30518843. down/index.html.
Retrieved 2009-05-02.
[4] ^ Norton, Amy (February 12, 2010). "Hydroxycut
linked to other cases of liver damage". Reuters
Further reading
Health (New York: Reuters). • Dara, L; Hewett, J; Lim, JK (2008). "Hydroxycut
http://www.reuters.com/article/ hepatotoxicity: a case series and review of liver
idUSTRE61B4P720100212. Retrieved December 9, toxicity from herbal weight loss supplements". World
2010. Journal of Gastroenterology 14 (45): 6999–7004.
[5] ^ Fessenden, Ford (June 23, 2003). "Studies of doi:10.3748/wjg.14.6999. PMC 2773866.
Dietary Supplements Come Under Growing PMID 19058338.
Scrutiny". The New York Times. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/ articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=2773866.
• Sharma, T; Wong, L; Tsai, N; Wong, RD (2010).
fullpage.html?res=940CE2D6143BF930A15755C0A9659C8B63&pagewanted=print.
Retrieved 2009-05-02. "Hydroxycut(®) (herbal weight loss supplement)
[6] "Nixon sues maker of Hydroxycut for induced hepatotoxicity: a case report and review of
misrepresenting safety concerns of ephedra, literature". Hawaii Medical Journal 69 (8): 188–90.
weight loss effectiveness" (Press release). Missouri PMID 20845283.
Attorney General’s office. March 27, 2003.
http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2003/
032703.htm.
External links
[7] "Nixon vs. Muscletech" (PDF). Missouri Attorney • Official site
General’s office. Archived from the original on • FDA Letter to Iovate Health Sciences re: Hydroxycut.
2006-10-26. http://web.archive.org/web/ U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 30 April 2009.
20061026080149/http://www.ago.mo.gov/ • Questions and answers: Hydroxycut, from the U.S.
lawsuits/2003/032703hydroxycut.pdf. , Circuit Food and Drug Administration
Court of the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hydroxycut&oldid=464558972"
Categories:
• Dietary supplements
• Product recalls
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hydroxycut
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