The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently warned consumers not to purchase 25 different weight loss products for the following reasons:

. contain active ingredients and excessive amounts of other ingredients found in prescription drugs
. promoted as dietary supplements, but are actually illegal drugs NOT approved by FDA
. use of these products may cause serious health effects including heart attacks, suicidal thoughts, and cancer

Although the products claim to contain only "natural" or "herbal" ingredients, they actually contain potentially harmful, illegal drug ingredients, such as marijuana and Rimonabant. The worst part is that these ingredients do not appear on the label, so unsuspecting consumers have no way of knowing that the products actually contain such ingredients.

Known health effects from these drugs range from high blood pressure to seizures, heart attack, stroke, and even cancer. One ingredient has even been associated with side effects like increased risk of depression and suicidal thoughts, and has led to 5 deaths and 720 adverse health reactions in Europe. These drugs can also interfere with other medications and increase the risk of adverse drug reactions. Furthermore, the safety of some of these ingredients has not been established in pregnant and lactating women or young children.

To date, the Food and Drug Safety Program has not received any reports that these products are in New Jersey. However, the products are being sold on various websites, in retail stores, and in nail salons in the United States. Consumers who are currently taking any of these products should stop immediately and consult their doctor. Anyone who has come across the products are asked to notify the Food and Drug Safety Program immediately. Consumers and medical professionals should also report adverse health effects to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program at www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm or via phone at (800) FDA-1088.

Numerous companies are under investigation by the FDA. However, the companies have not been responsive and recalls have not been effective. The Food and Drug Safety Program is asking local health departments to embargo/destroy these products if found during routine inspections. Please report supplier names and addresses to Virginia Wheatley at virginia.wheatley@doh.state.nj.us or (609)588-3123. Please also take any opportunities to educate consumers and the medical community about these hazardous products, if at all possible.

The 25 products are listed below:

Fatloss Slimming 2 Day Diet 3x Slimming Power
Japan Lingzhi 24 Hours Diet 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming 3 Day Diet
7 Day Herbal Slim 8 Factor Diet 7 Diet Day/Night Formula
999 Fitness Essence Extrim Plus GMP
Imelda Perfect Slim Lida DaiDaihua Miaozi Slim Capsules
Perfect Slim Perfect Slim 5x Phyto Shape
ProSlim Plus Royal Slimming Formula Slim 3 in 1
Slim Express 360 Slimtech Somotrim
Superslim TripleSlim Zhen de Shou
Venom Hyperdrive 3.0

Information for consumers can be found at:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/consumerinfo/weight_loss_products.htm

For more information or to report that these products have been found in New Jersey, contact Virginia Wheatley, Research Scientist 2, Food and Drug Safety Program at virginia.wheatley@doh.state.nj.us or (609)588-3123.