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CNN Live At Daybreak
Supplements Containing Ephedra
Aired January 14, 2004 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard the bad news about supplements containing ephedra. But when taken as directed, is the product really safe?
Joining us now with the low down and some alternatives is Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, you know, we've heard about a ban coming on ephedra and opponents of a ban argue that when dietary supplements containing ephedra are taken as directed, they're safe. But a study in this week's "Journal of the American Medical Association" suggests otherwise. Researchers actually found that when a single dose of metabolite 356 -- this is a dietary supplement that contains ephedra and caffeine -- it resulted in increased blood pressure and a prolonged QTC interval.
Carol, this is basically a change in the electrical system within the heart and one that can lead to abnormal heart rhythms. In fact, they say it was about three -- three and a half times greater chance of having these abnormal heart rhythms among those who took metabolite as compared to those who took sugar pill.
COSTELLO: Well, that's why...
DRAYER: It really supports...
COSTELLO: Yes, it really supports the reason why ephedra will be banned and it'll be off the shelves in a couple more weeks, right?
DRAYER: That's exactly true.
COSTELLO: So give us some alternatives. What else can people take to lose weight?
DRAYER: Well, what a lot of people are saying is really that nothing will work as effectively as ephedra. That is, it does work pretty well, but it does come with these risks. But we will be seeing some others. For example, the herb bitter orange. It contains an ingredient known as Synephrine. But this is pretty much a weaker form of ephedra. It does stimulate the central nervous system and acts in a similar way, increases metabolism. But it may also increase blood pressure and increase heart rate, so you do want to be careful there. Also, Senna. This is an herbal laxative. Many people do take laxatives in order to lose weight, but it's really not a good idea. It can lower blood potassium levels, which can also cause heart issues. It can also result in dehydration. And remember, when we take laxatives, it's resulting in a water loss. It's not real body fat.
Also, garcinia cambogia. This is another herbal ingredient that we'll see on the shelves now. It contains hydroxy citric acid. Supposedly this ingredient prevents the formation of fat in the body. But a recent study in "JAMA" revealed that it really isn't doing all that much. The good news there doesn't seem to be any serious side effects.
Also, Guarana. We've spoken a little bit about this herb in the past. We see it now in beverages so -- to give a caffeine boost.
COSTELLO: Yes.
DRAYER: Yes. Have you seen this, Carol?
COSTELLO: Oh, I have.
DRAYER: Right.
COSTELLO: I definitely have.
DRAYER: Yes. Well, it's very -- it contains very high amounts of caffeine. You do really want to be careful and avoid anything containing Guarana if you have heart problems. And last but not least, green tea extract. We've also talked a little bit about this. There's a great ingredient in green tea now, it's EGCG. Studies show that it does increase metabolism. People are very excited. But we haven't seen any long-term safety studies. So I would say stick with the green tea beverage for now.
COSTELLO: And I guess the real answer is, you know, eat right and exercise.
DRAYER: Right. And don't trust these supplements. You know, we haven't seen anything in terms of...
COSTELLO: No. None of them...
DRAYER: No.
COSTELLO: That's right. None of them are FDA approved either, so.
DRAYER: Exactly, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right.
Lisa Drayer, thank you very much.
DRAYER: Thank you. COSTELLO: Go to cnn.com/health for more on the ephedra alternatives plus an interactive look at adverse effects.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 14, 2004 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: You've heard the bad news about supplements containing ephedra. But when taken as directed, is the product really safe?
Joining us now with the low down and some alternatives is Lisa Drayer.
Good morning, Lisa.
LISA DRAYER, NUTRITIONIST: Good morning, Carol.
That's right, you know, we've heard about a ban coming on ephedra and opponents of a ban argue that when dietary supplements containing ephedra are taken as directed, they're safe. But a study in this week's "Journal of the American Medical Association" suggests otherwise. Researchers actually found that when a single dose of metabolite 356 -- this is a dietary supplement that contains ephedra and caffeine -- it resulted in increased blood pressure and a prolonged QTC interval.
Carol, this is basically a change in the electrical system within the heart and one that can lead to abnormal heart rhythms. In fact, they say it was about three -- three and a half times greater chance of having these abnormal heart rhythms among those who took metabolite as compared to those who took sugar pill.
COSTELLO: Well, that's why...
DRAYER: It really supports...
COSTELLO: Yes, it really supports the reason why ephedra will be banned and it'll be off the shelves in a couple more weeks, right?
DRAYER: That's exactly true.
COSTELLO: So give us some alternatives. What else can people take to lose weight?
DRAYER: Well, what a lot of people are saying is really that nothing will work as effectively as ephedra. That is, it does work pretty well, but it does come with these risks. But we will be seeing some others. For example, the herb bitter orange. It contains an ingredient known as Synephrine. But this is pretty much a weaker form of ephedra. It does stimulate the central nervous system and acts in a similar way, increases metabolism. But it may also increase blood pressure and increase heart rate, so you do want to be careful there. Also, Senna. This is an herbal laxative. Many people do take laxatives in order to lose weight, but it's really not a good idea. It can lower blood potassium levels, which can also cause heart issues. It can also result in dehydration. And remember, when we take laxatives, it's resulting in a water loss. It's not real body fat.
Also, garcinia cambogia. This is another herbal ingredient that we'll see on the shelves now. It contains hydroxy citric acid. Supposedly this ingredient prevents the formation of fat in the body. But a recent study in "JAMA" revealed that it really isn't doing all that much. The good news there doesn't seem to be any serious side effects.
Also, Guarana. We've spoken a little bit about this herb in the past. We see it now in beverages so -- to give a caffeine boost.
COSTELLO: Yes.
DRAYER: Yes. Have you seen this, Carol?
COSTELLO: Oh, I have.
DRAYER: Right.
COSTELLO: I definitely have.
DRAYER: Yes. Well, it's very -- it contains very high amounts of caffeine. You do really want to be careful and avoid anything containing Guarana if you have heart problems. And last but not least, green tea extract. We've also talked a little bit about this. There's a great ingredient in green tea now, it's EGCG. Studies show that it does increase metabolism. People are very excited. But we haven't seen any long-term safety studies. So I would say stick with the green tea beverage for now.
COSTELLO: And I guess the real answer is, you know, eat right and exercise.
DRAYER: Right. And don't trust these supplements. You know, we haven't seen anything in terms of...
COSTELLO: No. None of them...
DRAYER: No.
COSTELLO: That's right. None of them are FDA approved either, so.
DRAYER: Exactly, Carol.
COSTELLO: All right.
Lisa Drayer, thank you very much.
DRAYER: Thank you. COSTELLO: Go to cnn.com/health for more on the ephedra alternatives plus an interactive look at adverse effects.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
