A Google search for Hydroxycut reveals plenty of online retailers for the popular dietary supplement marketed as a weight loss drug. Despite the fact that on May 1, 2009, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a public advisory recommending that consumers cease all Hydroxycut use. The manufacturer voluntarily recalled 14 Hydroxycut products. The FDA has since issued a second warning.
Hydroxycut allegedly works by reducing the user’s appetite and increasing metabolism. A key Hydroxycut ingredient is caffeine, which can speed heart rate and increase the risk of heart attack. Hydroxycut makers are now marketing caffeine-free Hydroxycut.
However, the strict testing and standards applicable to pharmaceuticals do not apply to dietary supplements like Hydroxycut. After the first FDA warning, Hydroxycut removed the ingredient ephedra, a plant-based chemical found to cause high blood pressure, arrhythmia, heart attack and stroke. Still, Hydroxycut users run the risk of serious health problems and complications.
Multiple reports of side effects prompted the 2009 FDA public advisory and recall. The side effects included:
- Liver failure
- Kidney failure
- Heart problems
- Muscle damage
- One confirmed death due to liver problems
- Excessive weight loss
- Nervousness
Diabetics are especially at risk with Hydroxycut because it can interfere with how the brain reads blood sugar levels. The chromium in Hydroxycut tricks the body into thinking that it is full, resulting in weight loss. This could also trick the brain into thinking blood sugars are normal when they are not.
Have you had a medical problem using Hydroxycut?
Colson Hicks Eidson – Florida attorneys
