banner ad
Experts Logo

articles

FDA Warns Against DMAA: Supplement Makers Agree to Remove DMAA

Originally Published in The Goldhaber Warnings Report, April 2013

By: Gerald M. Goldhaber, Ph.D.
Tel: 212-379-6661
Email Dr. Goldhaber


View Profile on Experts.com.


In the November, 2012 issue of this newsletter, I wrote that the FDA was investigating reports of deaths due to the intake of energy drinks and was determining if energy drinks were safe. Earlier this month, the FDA issued a harsh warning against energy drinks and supplements containing the stimulant dimethylamylamine (DMAA), telling consumers to stay away from it while adding that the agency was "using all available tools at its disposal" to ensure that it is no longer sold. This is a formidable task because we as a nation spend more than $12.5 billion a year on energy drinks, shots and drink mixes. Although seven other countries, including Canada, had previously banned supplements containing DMAA, these products had remained widely available at supplement stores in the United States, including GNC.

Dr. Pieter Cohen, an assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School who studies dietary supplements believes the FDA should have acted earlier, "We've had hundreds of millions of dollars spent on products that should never have been on the marketplace to begin with," Dr. Cohen told the NY Times on April 12. "There's no reason the FDA should have waited to warn the public of the dangers of consuming the ingredient."

The FDA sent letters to ten companies manufacturing supplements containing DMAA and all but one, USPlabs, makers of the dietary supplements OxyElite Pro and Jack3d, had complied. On April 16 USPlabs, in an apparent course change emailed a statement to marketers saying it will tweak the products' formulas and remove DMAA. According to their statement, "USPlabs stands by the safety and legality of its products containing the dietary ingredient I ,3-DMAA. We disagree with the FDA's position ... The company has nevertheless concluded for business reasons to phase out products containing 1,3-DMAA."

Supplements that contain DMAA are still available online and at some dietary supplement stores, but the FDA advises consumers not to use them. As of April 11, the FDA had received 86 reports of illnesses or death associated with the ingredient. The reports indicate only that patients developed symptoms or died after or while using the product and do not mean the ingredient specifically caused the health problems, according to an article in the April 17 issue of the Marine Corps Times. The U.S. Army had begun a study of DMAA in 2012 after two soldiers died of apparent heart failure during physical training in 2011 at Ft. Bliss, Texas. The Army concluded that DMAA use was a contributing factor in both deaths. The FDA has warned that any product containing DMAA is "particularly dangerous with caffeine."

Feel free to pass this issue of the Goldhaber Warnings Report on to any friend or colleague.


Dr. Gerald M. Goldhaber, the President of Goldhaber Research Associates, LLC, is a nationally recognized expert in the fields of Political Polling and Warning Label Research. His clients include Fortune 500 companies, as well as educational and governmental organizations. He has conducted hundreds of surveys, including political polls for candidates running for U.S Congress, Senate, and President. Dr. Goldhaber also served as a consultant to President Reagan's Private Sector Survey for Cost Control.

©Copyright - All Rights Reserved

DO NOT REPRODUCE WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION BY AUTHOR.

Related articles

Mechanical-Safety-Engineering-Logo.gif

1/21/2015· Product Liability

Forensic Clues: Products and Child Safety

By: John Ryan, BSME, PE

No one likes to see children get hurt, especially when it could be prevented. Poor design, manufacturing defects, material defects, assembly errors, and the lack of a hazard analysis can result in hazardous products that injure people. Many products are put in stores that may have never been looked at by a design engineer and/or a safety specialist.

meyer_rosen_photo.jpg

8/27/2024· Product Liability

Product Liability and Personal Injury Involving Hair Coloring and Scalp Burns

By: Meyer R. Rosen

Product liability refers to the legal responsibility of manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, retailers, and others involved in the production and sale of products to ensure that such products are safe for consumers. When a product causes harm or injury due to a formulation defect, consumers may have the right to seek compensation through a product liability/personal injury lawsuit

Mechanical-Safety-Engineering-Logo.gif

4/7/2015· Product Liability

Forensic Clues: Failure to Maintain

By: John Ryan, BSME, PE

While many accidents involving products are the result of a product defect that leads to injury of the product user, accidents can also be the result of a failure caused by lack of maintenance or inspection. This issue of Clues will examine the theory behind failure to maintain accidents, as well as provide examples of common accidents that are due to a lack of maintenance.

;
Experts.com-No broker Movie Ad

Follow us

linkedin logo youtube logo rss feed logo
;