Another US study confirms safety of ephedra
been confirmed, according to a study by researchers at Columbia and
Harvard universities.
The safety of the popular herbal supplement ephedra has once again been confirmed, according to a study by researchers at Columbia and Harvard universities.
The herbal product, which is used as a weight loss product, has been the subject of a number of high profile recalls in Canada, France and elsewhere, and has been linked to a higher risk of heart attack or stroke.
The latest study was a six-month, placebo-controlled clinical trial and was published last week in the International Journal of Obesity. Its findings support those of an earlier study, dating from December 2000, which showed that ephedra is safe to use a dietary supplement at a total daily dosage of 90 mg, divided into smaller doses of up to 30 mg.
The report was welcomed by the Council for Responsible Nutrition, one of several dietary supplement advocacy groups in the US. According to John Cordaro, president and chief executive officer of the CRN, said: "This newly-published study is an important aspect of the overall science base that we urge the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take into account as it considers establishing any regulatory action beyond those self-regulating steps already taken for ephedra by dietary supplement makers.
"Any regulatory policy established by FDA must be based on sound science, and our industry is committed to working with FDA to devise and implement those kinds of objective, scientifically appropriate actions."
The December 2000 report on ephedra was commissioned by CRN and evaluated all available data using a risk assessment method developed by the US National Academies' Food and Nutrition Board. The evidence reviewed included 19 clinical trials, including the data from the recently-published study that found ephedra both safe and beneficial for weight loss at the 90 mg per day dosage.
John Hathcock, vice president, nutritional and regulatory science at the CRN, stressed that since the 2000 report, four other studies had been published providing further evidence that ephedra can be safely and effectively used for weight loss under recommended conditions of use.
