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Weight-Loss, Sports Supplements Still Include FDA-Banned Drugs: Study

“What the FDA is doing to try to eliminate experimental stimulants from supplements is not working,” said the lead study author.

Some weight-loss and sports supplements still contain experimental stimulant drugs that the Food and Drug Administration banned years ago, according to a study published Monday in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine. LiveScience reports that the study authors analyzed 12 supplements for the presence of four drugs, all of which were banned by the FDA in recent years because they could increase the risk of cardiovascular problems. In 2014, when only one of the drugs had been banned, all of the supplements tested positive for at least one of the substances. But in 2017, after all of the drugs had been banned, nine of the 12 supplements still tested positive for at least one—and six tested positive for at least two. The results indicate that “what the FDA is doing to try to eliminate experimental stimulants from supplements is not working,” lead study author Pieter Cohen told LiveScience. The paper added that “thus, as in the era of the original snake oil salesmen, the rule remains, ‘buyer beware.’”