Weight Loss Diet Solutions

SINGAPORE – Weight-loss product beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia contains an undeclared banned ingredient, and could be toxic, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has warned.

HSA says that the illegal weight-loss product, which is sold online, contains banned substances sibutramine and phenolphthalein.

Sibutramine has been banned in Singapore since October 2010 due to “serious safety concerns”, HSA said.

The agency added that the “very high level” of sibutramine detected in beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia could lead to heart attacks and fits.

The substance may also cause serious side effects, including high blood pressure, increased heart rate and irregular heartbeats. Changes in mood such as anxiety, depression and mood swings have also been reported.

Phenolphthalein has been used medicinally as a laxative but is no longer in use in Singapore. It may cause rashes, abdominal cramps, breathing difficulties, kidney disorders and has been found in animal studies to be associated with cancer.

The seller of the product is assisting HSA with its investigations.

The product, which is sold on local websites and social media platforms, supposedly contains the extract of garcinia cambogia, a fruit similar to tamarind.

This is touted as the main ingredient in the pills that helps to control one’s appetite and inhibits “fat production”.

“Illegal health products such as ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’ are generally produced under poor manufacturing conditions with no quality control,” HSA said in its statement.

“As with ‘beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia’, the hidden undeclared ingredients can be present in high quantities, which can pose serious health hazards and even lead to death.”

The agency advised members of the public who are consuming the product to stop taking it immediately and consult a doctor if they feel unwell or are concerned about their health.

Members of the public who have any information on the sale and supply of beFIT Total Garcinia Cambogia or other illegal products may contact HSA at 68663485 during office hours or email: hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg.

You can visit www.healthdangers.sg to learn more about the dangers of buying illegal health products from dubious sources.

Sales of the recalled product through the website www.swissclinic.no​​ have been halted, according to a warning on the authority Mattilsynet’s website.

Garcinia cambigia is toxic to the testicles because of its content of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) – a derivative of citric acid found in many tropical fruits.

According to the harmonised list of botanicals put forward by Belgium, Italy and France, BELFRIT, Garcinia cambigia is “OK”​ but levels of HAC “must be determined”. ​

The plant’s entry on the list referenced a 2005 study from the Japanese National Institute of Health and Nutrition​​ using rats, which suggested diets containing 102 millimoles of HCA per kilogram or more (778 and 1244 mg HCA per kg body weight per day, respectively) caused “potent testicular atrophy and toxicity”​.

This effect was not seen with diets containing 51 mmol HCA/kg or less (389 mg HCA per kg body weight per day).

The paper “tentatively”​ pointed to HCA as the cause of the negative health effect, but added: “This is the first published report of the testicular toxicity of HCA-containing Garcinia cambogia, and therefore, we do not currently know which of the constituents of this preparation is responsible for the toxicity.” ​

Garcinia cambogia, also known as Malabar tamarind, is a plant native to Southeast Asia used traditionally for its dried rind as a food preservative, flavouring agent and carminative but it is increasingly popular as a weight loss ingredient for supplements in developed countries.

Sales of the recalled product through the website www.swissclinic.no​​ have been halted, according to a warning on the authority Mattilsynet’s website.

Garcinia cambigia is toxic to the testicles because of its content of hydroxycitric acid (HCA) – a derivative of citric acid found in many tropical fruits.

According to the harmonised list of botanicals put forward by Belgium, Italy and France, BELFRIT, Garcinia cambigia is “OK”​ but levels of HAC “must be determined”. ​

The plant’s entry on the list referenced a 2005 study from the Japanese National Institute of Health and Nutrition​​ using rats, which suggested diets containing 102 millimoles of HCA per kilogram or more (778 and 1244 mg HCA per kg body weight per day, respectively) caused “potent testicular atrophy and toxicity”​.

This effect was not seen with diets containing 51 mmol HCA/kg or less (389 mg HCA per kg body weight per day).

The paper “tentatively”​ pointed to HCA as the cause of the negative health effect, but added: “This is the first published report of the testicular toxicity of HCA-containing Garcinia cambogia, and therefore, we do not currently know which of the constituents of this preparation is responsible for the toxicity.” ​

Garcinia cambogia, also known as Malabar tamarind, is a plant native to Southeast Asia used traditionally for its dried rind as a food preservative, flavouring agent and carminative but it is increasingly popular as a weight loss ingredient for supplements in developed countries.