Hydroxycut Raises Questions about FDA Regulations

On May 1, 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a grave warning about 14 products marketed under the brand name Hydroxycut. This all natural dietary supplement – supposedly designed to help people lose weight and tone muscles – was the top-selling weight loss product in the United States. Twenty-three cases of liver damage and one death have been reported in conjunction with Hydroxycut, and health officials warn that the actual number of injured people may be much higher.

In the wake of this frightening announcement, many people have begun to ask one question: how was this allowed to happen? Why did the FDA, the agency charged with protecting consumers from just this kind of mistake, allow Hydroxycut to be placed on the market? Why weren't its adverse side effects, including heart problems and liver damage, caught sooner?

A Series of Public Health Risks

Hydroxycut is far from the only dietary supplement to be pulled from the shelves in recent years. A long line of products advertised as safe and healthy have been linked to dangerous side effects. Supplements recalled in recent years include (but are hardly limited to):

• Fen-Phen: An appetite suppressant linked to hypertension and heart valve conditions.
• Ephedra: An herbal energy booster that can cause irregular heartbeat, stroke, and dehydration.
• Total Body Formula: A supplement found to contain dangerous levels of selenium.
• StarCaps: Another weight-loss supplement linked to severe dehydration and loss of electrolytes.

How can the same mistakes continue happening again and again? The shocking truth is that despite the role it supposedly plays in consumer safety, the FDA does very little to regulate supplements. The companies producing these products have no obligation to prove that they are effective or even made from safe ingredients!

Instead, the FDA relies on voluntary reports from injured consumers to determine whether a given supplement is safe or not. They cannot even recall a product without substantial evidence that it is dangerous. In effect, innocent consumers are being used as test subjects for potentially dangerous pills and other products.

Contact Us

This dangerous situation will not change until consumers begin standing up for their rights. If you or a loved one has suffered from liver damage or other side effects of Hydroxycut, contact the Hydroxycut liver injury attorneys of at your convenience.