Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Feb 18;22(3):78.
doi: 10.1208/s12249-021-01946-7.

An Analysis for Adulteration and Contamination of Over-the-Counter Weight-Loss Products

Ping Hung Boris Wong  1 , Joanna E Harnett  1 , David Clases  2 , Nial J Wheate  3
Affiliations

An Analysis for Adulteration and Contamination of Over-the-Counter Weight-Loss Products

Ping Hung Boris Wong et al. AAPS PharmSciTech. .

Abstract

Six Australian and five overseas complementary medicines (CM) and meal replacement shake products were analysed for potential adulteration with two common active pharmaceutical ingredients, caffeine and sibutramine, using thin-layer chromatography and mass spectrometry. The declared amount of caffeine in each product was also reviewed. Finally, the products were examined for heavy metal contamination using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. The results showed that there was no detected adulteration of either caffeine (for those products that did not list caffeine as an ingredient) or sibutramine in the 11 products; however, based on the product labels, one Australian and one overseas (two in total) CM product contained more than the maximum daily safety limit (400 mg) of caffeine. Potentially excessive lead and/or chromium was detected in six products, including four Australian products and two products purchased online. One Australian CM product appeared to contain these heavy metals at concentrations at, or exceeding, the safety limits specified in the United States Pharmacopeia or set by the World Health Organization. The overconsumption of caffeine and heavy metals has the potential of causing significant health effects in consumers.

Keywords: adulteration; complementary medicine; contamination; heavy metal; patient safety.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Wright KL, Verney K, Brennan D, Lindsay D, Lindsay D, Smyth W. Administrative staff-self reported long-term conditions: findings from a regional Australian health service. Int J Workplace Health Manag. 2019;12(6):483–94.
    1. Ee C, Cave AE, Naidoo D, Boyages J. Prevalence of and attitudes towards complementary therapy use for weight after breast cancer in Australia: a national survey. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2019;19(1):1–10.
    1. Yoong SL, Carey ML, Sanson-Fisher RW, D’Este C. A cross-sectional study assessing the self-reported weight loss strategies used by adult Australian general practice patients. BMC Fam Pract. 2012;13(1):48. - PubMed - PMC
    1. Lauche R, Fuller NR, Cramer H, Wardle J, Sibbritt D, Adams J. Associations between complementary medicine, satisfaction with body weight and shape, and the use of methods to lose or control weight: results of a national survey of 8009 Australian women. Complement Ther Med. 2018;36:100–6. - PubMed
    1. Harvey K. Regulation of complementary medicines. Intern Med J. 2017;47(9):983–5. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources