Consumer advocates warn against slimming products

Warning about dangerous slimming products, sexual enhancers and fitness pills from the internet

06/10/2011

The consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia has in a comprehensive investigation, the ingredients of online slimming products, fitness products and potency preparations tested, with appalling results: Many products contained banned and / or harmful substances.

Many of the products advertised as natural products contain, according to the Consumer Center according to the consumer unrecognizable potentially harmful substances such as sibutramine, tadalafil, ephedrine or amphetamine. In addition, on most packaging no clear information on the ingredients was available, which violates the labeling requirement in Germany. The existing descriptions in English or Chinese do not suffice under German law and make it virtually impossible for the consumer to understand what risks a consumption entails, so the charge of the consumer center. The products marketed under eloquent names such as AnaPhen HardCore, Super Lover, or Passion Plus represent, in the view of consumer advocates, a significant risk to health.

Illegal and highly harmful substances
The market for the supposed miracle drugs seems huge and thousands of customers regularly fall for the completely exaggerated promises of beauty, fitness, slimming, anti-aging and sexual enhancer, reports the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia. But not only that the preparations usually do not show the desired effect, they often also bring significant side effects, which can have fatal consequences in the worst case, the experts said. Nearly a third of dietary supplements of foreign origin in the test purchases contained illegal and highly harmful substances, according to the announcement of the consumer center on Wednesday in Dusseldorf. Nevertheless, the online trade is booming with miracle drugs and at prices of around 30 euros per pack, this is now a billion dollar business, explained consumer advocates.

Slimming products, potency and fitness supplements contain risky substances
On behalf of the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia, online test buyers have acquired 70 foreign anti-aging, slimming, potency increase and fitness products whose ingredients were subsequently analyzed. All articles were as pure „natural“ Food supplements declared, however, often contained banned and risky medicines, the statement of the consumer advocates. Accordingly, substances were included in 13 of 21 weight loss products, eight of 13 libido and potency enhancers, and six of 21 fitness products. Among the most dangerous ingredients were, for example, active ingredients such as sibutramine or tadalafil and stimulants such as ephedrine and amphetamine, reported the consumer advocates. For example, the use of the drug Sibutramine, which is not authorized in the EU, is accompanied by side effects such as high blood pressure, headaches, an increased heart rate, cardiac arrhythmia, nausea and vomiting, the experts explained. In addition, sibutramine can cause acute heart disease and cause concomitant use of psychotropic drugs (antidepressants, neuroleptics) dangerous interactions. Patients with hyperthyroidism, angina pectoris, sleep disorders, hypertension, epilepsy, cardiac arrhythmias, and liver and kidney disorders should never use sibutramine because of the potential side effects, the experts warn.

Miracle cure with at worst deadly side effects
The tadalafil contained in supposedly pure herbal potency preparations can cause a circulatory collapse in case of incorrect medication, explained the consumer advocates. And the stimulants contained in numerous fitness products exploit the body's energy reserves and can result in total fatigue, muscle blockage and dehydration, the experts said. In the worst case, according to the consumer advocates threatened with overdose fatal health effects. The phenolphthalein found in some weight loss products is potentially carcinogenic, according to the Consumer Center. A particular problem is that most products had no or no German-language information on the ingredients, the experts said. Thus nine out of ten products could not have been offered or sold at all in Germany due to serious labeling deficiencies. For a quarter of the products, the information was not in German but only „in English or literally in jargon“ According to the statement of the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia. In addition, four of the five dietary supplements tested lacked the warnings required by European legislation.

Billion-dollar business with miracle drugs
Numerous offerers use according to statement of the consumer center North Rhine-Westphalia the guise of the Internet to „to bring unhindered foreign dietary supplements with banned substances to the German market.“ It seems questionable that „Although the providers all reported a registered office abroad, half of the ordered samples were delivered from a German location“ said consumer advocates. For example, clever German businesspeople obviously use the opportunity to profit from the billion dollar business. In order to suggest the consumer effectiveness and safety of miracle drugs, some providers do not shy away from it, „unabashedly false quality seals - for example from Stiftung Warentest or the local pharmacies“ to use warned the consumer center. The experts therefore demanded a more consistent monitoring of the online trade in the supposed miracle drugs as well as a more efficient prosecution and punishment of all violations. Since the products were also acquired by the testers on online platforms such as Ebay or Amazon, they were also called to act and should control their products offered more control, said the consumer advocates. (Fp)

Picture: Rita Thielen