Ephedra Poses Health Risks, Study Finds

Citing potential danger to public health, a leading medical journal on Monday ordered early release of a study concluding that products containing the energy-boosting and weight-loss supplement ephedra can pose serious medical problems, including permanent disability and death.

Scientists at UC San Francisco undertook the study at the behest of the Food and Drug Administration to address health problems associated with ephedra, a powerful stimulant that is one of the most popular dietary supplements.

The study was scheduled for publication in the Dec. 21 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, but editors there decided to release it early, citing “potential clinical and public health implications.”

The California researchers analyzed 140 “adverse event reports” on ephedra provided by the FDA, and concluded that 43 were “definitely” or “probably” caused by the supplement--among them three deaths, seven instances of permanent injury and four cases requiring ongoing medical treatment.

The study led them to warn that the substance can “pose a serious health risk to some users,” said researchers Christine A. Haller and Neal L. Benowitz.

Ephedra products are sold as foods and don’t have to undergo premarket clearance by the FDA. The industry markets ephedra as a diet aid or energy booster, and it has fought FDA efforts to impose dosage limits. The agency has asserted that ephedra can cause adverse reactions ranging from nervousness and insomnia to hypertension, rapid heart beats, heart attack, seizure and stroke.

The study “confirms that ephedra as sold in dietary supplement form is a public health threat,” said Bruce Silverglade, legal affairs director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group. “The evidence is now in. This study should provide a basis for the FDA to move ahead with regulatory limits on its sale.”

Gregory Curfman, the journal’s executive editor, said the articles are released early “three or four times a year,” and only in cases involving public health concerns. But he said the journal doesn’t want to make a statement about ephedra or “inject ourselves” in a political dispute.