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People who use dietary supplements containing an ingredient called higenamine play with fire, suggests a new study. It's often not known how much higenamine is packaged in a single pill, he said, which means people can take dangerously high doses of herbal stimulants.
The researchers behind the study, published in Clinical Toxicology, purchased 24 supplement brands advertised to contain higenamine in 2016, all available for sale in the United States. All but two of these brands have marketed as weight loss or energy supplements. Then, they tested the chemical composition of the pills present inside, using two laboratories to separately analyze two samples of each brand.
All brands contained higenamine, but the amount varied greatly from one sample to the other. On the basis of the samples, people could have found minute, minute amounts of higenamine at more than 100 milligrams a day, provided they followed the instructions of the etiquette. And while only five bottles indicated a specific amount of higenamine per tablet, the amount indicated never matched that found in the corresponding samples. In these flasks, the amount of higenamine ranged from 0.001% of the stated amount to 200%.
"While higenamine is considered a legal food ingredient when it is present as a constituent of plants, our research has identified stimulant levels and extremely imprecise labeling and dosing information." said John Travis, researcher at NSF International. study, in a statement.
NSF International is a long-time, non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, Michigan that tests and inspects consumer products, including supplements. It also provides independent certification and standardization programs for various industries, such as food services. Researchers at Harvard Medical School also contributed to the study.
Higenamine is derived from several plants, including aconite (perhaps better known as the wolf bane), but has only recently been sold in supplements and exercise drinks, according to the authors. . Unlike homeopathic products, the chemical actually affects the body, primarily the heart. This makes it a popular tool for elite athletes seeking to gain a legal competitive advantage. But in 2017, the World Anti-Doping Agency officially banned its use.
However, given the importance of the supplements in a mystery box, the authors say that there is a risk that athletes inadvertently take on higenamine, putting their careers at risk. Some athletes, if their words can be taken literally, already have.
For most people, the dangers of higenamine are virtually unknown. According to the authors, since 2014, the Food and Drug Administration has received reports of poor side effects of taking higenamine. But there has been little research, whether in humans or animals, on its risks.
We do not even know how much chemical is needed to cause damage, although studies in China have shown that only 2.5 milligrams (injected directly into the bloodstream) can accelerate the heart. Oral medications tend to be less potent than those given intravenously, but again, we do not know how these mathematics would work for higenamine. Other stimulants of plant origin, such as those found in ephedra (banned by the FDA in 2004), are known to cause heart attacks, strokes and coma, not to mention of death, at sufficiently high doses.
Because of these risks, the message to remember from the authors is simple.
"We encourage competitive and amateur athletes, as well as consumers in general, to think twice about consuming a product that contains higenamine," Travis said.
Overall dietary supplements are estimated to account for more than 23,000 emergency room visits in the United States each year.
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