According to a new study published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, of the 21 products tested, half claimed to be manufactured with Acacia rigidula, all of which tested positive for beta-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA), a chemical only made in labs.
"What we know is that in dogs and cats it can increase blood pressure, increase heart rate," Dr. Pieter Cohen, the lead of the study and a Harvard professor, said in an appearance on CBS. "These are things that are signals in humans will lead or turn into heart attacks, strokes and maybe even sudden death."
As it’s mission statement, the FDA "is tasked with identifying and removing mislabeled, adulterated, and dangerous dietary supplements from the marketplace. The extent to which the FDA is enforcing the law is not known."
Apparently, the FDA failed to do so.
"The FDA should immediately warn consumers about BMPEA and take aggressive enforcement action to eliminate BMPEA in dietary supplements," the study stated. "Physicians should remain vigilant for patients presenting with toxicity from sports and weight-loss supplements as they might contain undisclosed stimulants, such as BMPEA."
The government agency asserted research on the presence of the chemical in Acacia rigidula was published in 2013, and that BMPEA causes no harm.
"While our review of the available information on products containing BMPEA does not identify a specific safety concern at this time, the FDA will consider taking regulatory action, as appropriate, to protect consumers," said FDA spokeswoman Juli Putnam.
But finding the chemical in the products isn’t the only job of the FDA. The study was conducted to determine whether BMPEA was removed from the supplements. And it wasn’t.
Dr. Cohen expressed concern that companies often lace dietary supplements with chemicals that act like amphetamine and then hide them under obscure plant names to make it appear that the ingredients came from natural botanicals.
According to blogger Josh Long, who covers the legal aspects of the natural supplement industry, the ten supplements found to contain BMPEA are manufactured by one company, Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals.
When Long asked the company’s president about the chemical, he maintained that the amphetamine is a naturally occurring alkaloid produced by the plant itself, and thus all products that list it as an active ingredient should contain it, the Daily Beast reported.
Law enforcement personnel plan to pursue actions against manufacturers which sell products that do not contain the ingredients listed on the bottle.
Among the supplements found to contain BMPEA are JetFuel Superburn, JetFuel T-300, MX-LS7, Aro Black Series Burn, Black Widow, Dexaprine XR, Fastin-XR, Lipodrene Hardcore, Lipodrene Xtreme, Stimerex-ES, and Yellow Scorpion.
