have you ever taken hydroxycut?

[karyn]

* MAY 1, 2009, 1:10 P.M. ET

FDA Warns Consumers to Stop Taking Hydroxycut Products

from wall street journal

By JARED A. FAVOLE

WASHINGTON -- Consumers should "immediately stop" using Hydroxycut weight-loss products amid concerns they may cause jaundice and liver failure, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The FDA has received 23 serious reports of health problems with Hydroxycut products and one death in a 19-year-old male who had used the weight-loss products, said Linda Katz, interim chief medical officer in the FDA's food safety and nutrition division.

The FDA strongly advises people against using 14 Hydroxycut products, Ms. Katz said. Iovate Health Sciences Inc. of Canada markets the products, also known as dietary supplements, as fat burners and energy-enhancers. Iovate representatives couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The company has agreed to recall 14 of its Hydroxycut products. Other Hydroxycut products, such as Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia, won't be recalled as the FDA said they contain different ingredients from the other products.

Vasilios Frankos, director of the FDA's dietary supplement program, said it's still unclear what ingredients in the products are harmful. The FDA is trying to get a better understanding of what ingredients, or combination of ingredients, is causing the liver damage. Other dietary supplements may contain similar ingredients.

The FDA recommends people call their physicians if they are worried about any damage caused by the products.

Write to Jared A. Favole at jared.favole@dowjones.com

[Ajax Knucklebones]

Yes...I grew boobs from it. They're real and they're fabulous. Malcolm...Take notes.

[keiko]

You can't blame the product for stupid people that don't drink enough water and take more than the recommended dose so that they'll burn more and faster and ending up sick/dead. Like all supplements, it's playing with your body's chemistry and if you don't know what you're doing, you will cause that chemistry to unbalance in a negative way. It's not a stupid people's game, just because they play around with things they don't understand doesn't make the product harmful.

Do we blame the matches when some kid gets a hold of them and burns themselves or something else of value? No, we blame the parents for not watching their children.

When a career arsonist burns someone's house down, do we blame the gasoline companies? No, we blame the Arsonist.

Don't blame the chemicals, blame the moron.

~K

[OliX]

Don't blame addictivity of crack. Blame the guy that didn't even knew what he was trying.

There's no better way to lose weight than sex and swimming. And a healthy diet.

[Bikerpunk]

I take that stuff. Now I'm worried.

[LeilaHazlett]

It don't see why it's so hard to get off your ass and fucking exercise. Seriously, there really shouldn't be a need for people to take drugs to lose weight. None of those products are healthy for you even if you are taking them correctly.

[keiko]

I take that stuff. Now I'm worried.

I took it for four years and there's nothing wrong with me. Just be sure to drink plenty of water and every couple of months take a week off from taking it.

The only major issue you would have with the stuff if you are taking it correctly and cycling OFF the stuff once in a while, is that it has shown a history of causing otherwise latent herpes infections to flare up... at least according to a few people I've talked to.

It's not addicting and therefore entirely unlike crack/cocaine/heroin. The body doesn't need it and doesn't even begin to think it needs it to continue functioning, which is how it responds to addictive substances.

~K

[nathanmbailey]

It don't see why it's so hard to get off your ass and fucking exercise. Seriously, there really shouldn't be a need for people to take drugs to lose weight. None of those products are healthy for you even if you are taking them correctly.

There is a reason to take it, but most people see it as a "magic weightloss pill" rather than something to help you lose weight. I took the same type of thing, just a different brand for awhile because even though I was exercising and eating... better... (cut out desert, except one day a week, and was down below 1800 calories day) I still couldn't lose much more weight, I was just stuck at 200 pounds. I started taking the pills and it helped me get down to about 180. There is a reason to take it and it can help, but that's mostly for the people who were already giving an honest try at losing the weight.

Otherwise, I don't touch the stuff, or any other supplements other than multi-vitamins because it's hard to eat right out here or while living in barracks. I've seen what happens to people on Hydroxycut who didn't drink a ton of water when it's over 120 degrees all day every day.

[Bikerpunk]

It don't see why it's so hard to get off your ass and fucking exercise. Seriously, there really shouldn't be a need for people to take drugs to lose weight. None of those products are healthy for you even if you are taking them correctly.

Between a 9 hour workday, a 2h commute, and the need to sleep, I don't have the time many days, though I do jog in the mornings and don't eat crappy food. I'm getting older and I'm slowing down, metabolically and hormonally.