Hydroxycut diet aids recalled

Citing reports of a death due to liver failure and other instances of serious health problems, the Federal drug regulators have warned consumers not to use the Hydroxycut line of weight loss products.

The FDA said that it had received twenty three reports of significant adverse health effects such as heart problems, muscle damage, and kidney damage in people making use of Hydroxycut.

From NYTimes.com:

The Hydroxycut brand, which has been widely sold at national chain stores including GNC and the Vitamin Shoppe, includes pills, drinks and powders marketed to increase energy, burn calories and fat, and control appetite. The maker reported selling more than nine million units of the brand last year, according to the F.D.A.

That company, Iovate Health Sciences of Oakville, Ontario, and its American distributor are voluntarily recalling 14 of the products. Two other products, Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia, with different ingredients, are not affected by the recall. Calls to the company’s Canadian headquarters reached a recorded message that directed callers to the Hydroxycut Web site.

The recall of one of the best-known weight-loss brands is the latest in a series of incidents that raise the question of whether the Food and Drug Administration has adequate authority to regulate the dietary supplement industry and provide consumer protection.

At issue is the difference in the way the agency oversees drugs — defined as products that prevent or cure disease — and dietary supplements, which can offer general health benefits but cannot claim to treat specific diseases or symptoms.

Part of the problem is that the FDA looks at dietary supplements from a postmarket perspective and a single incident is often difficult to follow, according to Dr. Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer of the agency’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.