Past Hydroxycut Incidents & Injuries
Unfortunately, the previous blog posting wasn’t the only incident of individuals being harmed by Hydroxycut. Our medical research has been ongoing, and we know of many additional instances of individuals harmed by Hydroxycut. The scary part is that these are otherwise healthy, young people, even people that participate in body-building competitions! And what’s worse is that they suffered injuries while taking the dose recommended by Hydroxycut. This isn’t a situation where out of shape people were overdosing on the product. These are healthy people that took the recommended dose and suffered catastrophic injuries.
The injuries people have suffered from Hydroxycut range from liver damage to kidney damage to muscle damage (rhabdomyolysis) to seizures. This is not limited just to liver injury. Below we summarized some of the medical research and literature to give you a better idea of the serious injuries caused by Hydroxycut.
Acute Liver Injury Associated with the Herbal Supplement Hydroxycut in a Soldier Deployed to Iraq
This report was issued in 2007 following an acute liver injury suffered by a U.S. Army soldier in Iraq. The 19 year old male soldier reported to the troop medical clinic with complaints of six days of nausea and vomiting. He did not have pre-existing medical problems, did not use prescription medications, did not have a personal or family history of hepatitis, jaundice or other liver problems, had not consumed alcohol for six months, and had not undergone a blood transfusion. However, he had been using Hydroxycut for weight loss for approximately four months prior to reporting to the medical clinic.
Tests revealed that the soldier was jaundiced and that he was suffering from acute liver injury (hepatoxicity). The doctors with the Eisenhower Army Medical Center concluded that the soldier developed acute liver injury from Hydroxycut. They reported that green tea extract (Camellia sinensis), one of the ingredients in Hydroxycut, had been associated with acute liver injury in other weight loss supplements and tonics. Due to the fact that herbal weight loss supplements that contain green tea leaf extract, such as Hydroxycut, had been associated with acute liver damage, the doctors urged caution in the use of those products.
The American Journal of Gastroenterology (2007) 102, 2357-2358.
Hydroxycut Hepatotoxicity: A case series and review of liver toxicity from herbal weight loss supplements
This article discusses two individuals that reported to an emergency room with similar problems. A 40 year old female went to the emergency room with crampy abdominal pain and diarrhea. She also complained of nausea and vomiting, profound fatigue and fevers and chills. One week prior to going to the ER, she began using six pills per day of Hydroxycut in preparation for a body building competition. She took no other medications or dietary supplements and did not have previous liver problems. A 33 year old female presented to the emergency room complaining of jaundice, nausea, crampy abdominal pain and profound fatigue. She did not drink alcohol and was on no other relevant medications. She also had no previous liver problems. However, she had been taking Hydroxycut for two weeks to help her achieve weight loss, but stopped taking it after onset of the symptoms. In both cases, the tests revealed that these women were suffering from acute chemical liver damage.
The doctors writing the article noted that Hydroxycut contains several different herbs, including Garcinia Cambogia extract, chromium polynicotinate, Gymnema Sylvestre extract and Camellia Sinenesis (green tea leaf extract). The doctors concluded that the close time relationship between the ingestion of the Hydroxycut and the liver toxicity suggested that Hydroxycut was the cause of the liver damage.
Interestingly, the doctors noted that chromium, an ingredient in Hydroxycut, is an essential trace element and cofactor to insulin most commonly occurring in hexavalent (VI) and trivalent (III) state. It noted that the hexavalent form is found in the dye and leather industry and is responsible for occupational toxicity ranging from dermatitis to lung cancer. It further noted that the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) had established that the safe adequate and daily dietary intake range for chromium was 50-200 mg per day. However, each Hydroxycut serving contains 133 mg of chromium, which if taken three times daily as recommended, results in a cumulative daily consumption greater than twice the NAS safe maximum dose.
The doctors further noted that another ingredient in Hydroxycut, Camellia Sinenesis, is commonly known as green tea leaf extract and is regarded as safe by the public. However the doctors note that this Hydroxycut ingredient is well described as a cause of acute hepatitis and acute liver failure. It should be noted that this Hydroxycut has been banned in France and Spain, although it remains unregulated in weight loss supplements commercially available in the U.S.
The doctors noted the potential for acute liver injury caused by herbal supplements including Hydroxycut.
Dara, L., et al. World J. Gastroenterol 2008 December 7; 14 (45): 6999-7004
Severe hepatoxicity due to Hydroxycut: A case report
In this report, a 28 year old male was transferred to the UCLA emergency room complaining of three weeks of fatigue, jaundice and dark urine. In an effort to lose weight, he had been taking two tablets of Hydroxycut 2-3 times per day, which is within Hydroxycut=s suggested dosing. The 28 year old had no history of liver disease and rarely drank alcohol. Upon testing, it was noted that he was suffering from acute liver damage. The physicians concluded that his acute liver injury was consistent with hepatoxicity associated with Hydroxycut. As a result, the physician stated that caution should be exercised by consumers using Hydroxycut, since there was evidence that extracts of Garcinia Cambogia, Gymnema Sylvestre and Camellia Sinensis contained in Hydroxycut may be associated with severe and even fatal acute liver injury.
Shim, M. Dig Dis Sci (2009) 54: 406-408
Rhabdomyolysis associated with the nutritional supplement Hydroxycut
An 18 year old man arrived at an Urgent Care Center complaining of leg pain and weakness. He was diagnosed with rhabdomyolysis and instructed to go to the emergency room. Rhabdomyolysis is a syndrome characterized by muscle necrosis, whose severity can range from muscle aches to life threatening situations. It is commonly caused by trauma, drugs or toxins, infections, or metabolic etiologies. It can become life threatening, causing hepatic inflammation, cardiac arrhythmia and arrest, acute renal failure, and other serious medical conditions.
The patient had no significant past medical history. Before his symptoms started, he had been taking four caplets of Hydroxycut daily. The physicians concluded that due to the fact that he had no significant medical history, it was likely that the rhabdomyolysis was associated with taking the Hydroxycut in addition to his increased exercise regimen.
Dehoney, S. et al. Am J Health B Syst Pharm B Vol. 66 January 15, 2009 142-148
Tags: Hydroxycut liver failure