The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued a warning against the use of Hydroxycut, a weight-loss supplement linked to serious liver injuries. Hydroxycut's manufacturer has recalled 14 of its products, which are marketed as fat-burners, diet aids, and energy boosters.
The FDA has received 23 reports of Hydroxycut-related adverse effects, including liver damage requiring a liver transplant, seizures, cardiovascular disorders, elevated liver enzymes (an indicator of potential liver injury), and jaundice. In 2007, a 19-year-old man died of liver failure after using Hydroxycut.
In addition to urging consumers to stop using Hydroxycut products, the FDA advises consulting a physician if you're experiencing symptoms that could be associated with use of Hydroxycut. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice, brown urine, nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite.
Hydroxycut contains a variety of ingredients, including hydroxycitric acid (a botanical extract linked to liver damage in a number of case reports). The FDA has yet to determine which Hydroxycut ingredients or doses might lead to liver problems.
No offense to the people this has ‘affected’ but did the person who died from liver failure drink alcohol at all? Hydroxycut is mainly made up of caffeine and green tea extract… coffee shops going to be the next thing that gets targeted?.. as for the urin issue… it’s usually because you need to drink lots of water… as for the seizures.. I bet the same could be said for taking too much caffeine?? it’s called somebody didn’t read the warnings or follow the daily limit… it’s a great product that helped me lose 60 lbs
Hydroxycut worked for me the first time but the second time around it started giving me liver problems. The stuff is bad news!
There is nothing wrong with this product. I’ve used it for years. It always ends up being a stupid act of few that transcribes into a law for everyone else. Just because a small group of people decide to abuse a product the FDA jumps in and tells everyone a product is bad. It’s simple, follow the instructions as you would if it were a medication. Do not exceed to recomended dose and you will be fine. Would the FDA act this way because of people overdosing on prescripstion drugs, DOUBT IT!
There is a difference between urine when dehydrated vs live damage colored urine or tea colored, basically brown, not deep yellow. Some people can have minor liver damage and recover quickly, not even knowing they have had elevated AST/ALT’s. Some people have livers that just can not process more than the usual toxins.
I am a former research associate, worked in the past with studies on people with harmless things like fish oil to a medication that was pulled after 2 people developed adrenal issues.
The main ingrediant in question is actually a plant extract that is already KNOWN to cause liver problems, not the caffeine or green tea extract. So, perhaps if they take out the plant extract, they can remarket it as something different.
I have friends who use hydroxycut and hope they do not develop liver problems.
Funny thing…Tylenol is one of the most liver toxic medications out there if taken too much! We always learned in the medical field, if you really want to kill yourself, take tylenol, as once your liver goes, its a somewhat drawn painful death-with the ’suicide’ you will not be top of the transplant list. So,
Pretty sure i have taken this product on and off for a couple years. It has worked great for me, yes…until actually I just heard about this recall and realized the trouble with my liver that I had back in September/October was due to taking these pills. I was puking, couldn’t hardly eat or drink because pains in my stomach, i was nauseous, and even had my blood tested which showed unhealthy levels in my liver…does this sound familiar?! At the time I didn’t know it was a result of taking these pills…just thought it was something weird with me. Scary thought now that I did this to myself, or the pills did rather. Its better now to not have it than even risk it, no matter if it did work for you (it worked for me…and now look what it did). Stop taking them!-i now did
Just because the product didn’t hurt your liver doesn’t mean you are the rule for everyone else. Also even though many people took it and only a few reported problems doesn’t mean they were the only ones affected.
It’s not ok to ALMOST kill anyone even if the product worked for many others, that is like saying your life is less valuable than your brothers/sisters/mothers ect.
I took Hydroxycut for 2 months, then was told by the best liver specialist in the state that I would likely not survive my liver failure (by the way I’m not a drinker.) I did, and am in the 10% of people who survive Acute Liver Failure without a transplant. I am glad I didn’t die, sad that someone did and disturbed by people who think that just cause it didn’t happen to them it absolutely could not have happened to anyone! Afterall not everyone has heart attacks but we don’t deny they exist?!?!!? Same difference!
If the product worked so well, why are people saying they’ve used it for years?
Why have people been using Hydroxycut for years if it works so well? Because short term dieting doesn’t work. To lose weight and keep it off you need to change your eating and exercise habits permanently. The trouble is developing the motivation to stick to these new habits until they become permanent. That’s hard!
So many of the things that would make our lives and the world a better place require more motivation and goal-achievement skills than most people have. That’s why we launched GoalTribe.com to provide people step-by-step guidance through the whole goal achievement process, including building motivation and getting social support to encourage you when you fall behind and cheer you when you succeed.
Other than GoalTribe, the next best thing is starting or joining your own weight-loss support group to share strategies and hold each other accountable.
Best of luck to you!
The body will heal itself if you stop abusing it. And that means with natural herbal remedies too. The body can only take so much before it stops working the way it’s supposed to. Putting all that extra stuff into the body makes it that much harder for your body to do its job properly.
Herbal remedies should be used to give the body a boost to fix whatever problem it has. Using drugs and herbal remedies not only makes you addictive to them but they also stop the body from fixing any problems it has.
I wonder if anyone has ever thought to just eat less food to lose weight?
Sara
I found that losing weight is not that hard as anyone would think. It sure takes commitment and following a simple plan but the key element is persistance.
You need to monitor the calories, lose the junk food, sodas, sweets and do some physical exercises. I myself love dancing. And remember to use a fat burner to accelerate the fat metabolism.
We Americans have been duped into thinking that an FDA approval of some product is a total “thumbs up” on something….And conversely that if the FDA ‘unapproves’ or recalls a product that it is unilaterally bad. Unfortunately often times, the FDA is “bought” by pharmaceutical companies in order to get their products approved. The question is: are we in the public actually hearing about it, or is the news being swept under the proverbial rug? Bottom line: let the buyer beware. WE are the ones responsible for reading everything we can about any product. That’s where the Internet comes in so handy these days…and of course those old things called books
Actually, the FDA doesn’t approve herbal products. They are governed by the FTC unless there becomes a serious health issue and in which case they can act to remove the product from the market.
Ultimately, we are each responsible for the decisions we make regarding medications and supplements. Before you start taking anything, research it. This will help you make informed decisions about your health and help to avoid any surprises.
This article showing another drug or herbal diet remedy causing all kinds of side effects is even more reason to avoid such stuff. There are too many companies out there abusing the idea of “natural”. People need to control what they eat and how much they exercise to see reasults.
Choosing the right foods makes a big impact. I just read an article at http://www.shiftingyourweight.com that talked about foods that increase your metabolism. That is the kind of stuff people need to know more about.