These supplements may have toxic effects on the heart
| Updated: Sep 10, 2018, 12:18 IST
Due to the lifestyles we lead, we find it easier to pop a pill rather than go exercise for an hour. With time constraints and tiring days at work, who has the time to constantly exercise, right? Hence, most of us tend to take 'supplements' for almost any and everything. Dietary supplements are those, among many, that are most consumed. However, today we have come upon a research that states that supplements used as weight loss or workout aids may actually be harmful to those who take them.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned all athletes from taking drugs and supplements that include higenamine, a beta-2 agonist that may have toxic effects on the heart. And despite the ban, higenamine is still present in supplements many of us take that could severely damage cardiovascular health. The researchers — including John Travis, a senior research scientist at NSF International in Ann Arbor, MI — have revealed not only that higenamine, the drug we previously mentioned, is a widely used supplement ingredient, but also that companies that produce such supplements do not properly list the dosage at which this ingredient is used which makes it more harmful.
"We're urging competitive and amateur athletes, as well as general consumers, to think twice before consuming a product that contains higenamine," says Travis. "Beyond the doping risk for athletes," he adds. "Some of these products contain extremely high doses of a stimulant with unknown safety and potential cardiovascular risks when consumed," he concluded.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned all athletes from taking drugs and supplements that include higenamine, a beta-2 agonist that may have toxic effects on the heart. And despite the ban, higenamine is still present in supplements many of us take that could severely damage cardiovascular health. The researchers — including John Travis, a senior research scientist at NSF International in Ann Arbor, MI — have revealed not only that higenamine, the drug we previously mentioned, is a widely used supplement ingredient, but also that companies that produce such supplements do not properly list the dosage at which this ingredient is used which makes it more harmful.
"We're urging competitive and amateur athletes, as well as general consumers, to think twice before consuming a product that contains higenamine," says Travis. "Beyond the doping risk for athletes," he adds. "Some of these products contain extremely high doses of a stimulant with unknown safety and potential cardiovascular risks when consumed," he concluded.