Ephedra (Ephedrine) for weight loss, is it safe?

For everyone who have known more about weight loss supplements, they will know this (Ephedra/Ephedrine alkaloids). This is one of the most popular ingredients in any weight loss pills/supplements. Some people claimed it as good supplement for dieter. But, it has been one of controversial ingredient these days. How about the fact? Is Ephedra (Ephedrine) really good for weight loss?

We have collected information about this substance from any sources. There are several keys of Ephedra which you should know:

• In China, it is called “Ma Huang“. We have posted about it in the past time. In the United States, it is sold as a dietary supplement. It is a natural source of the alkaloids ephedrine and pseudoephedrine.
• Synthetic ephedrine and pseudoephedrine are usually used to treat asthma. Ephedrine is not approved in the United States as a drug for weight loss or to enhance . FDA (U.S Food and Drug Administration) banned this drug (ephedrine) for weight loss or to enhance athletic performance.
• The use of dietary supplements containing ephedra (ephedrine) and botanicals with caffeine is associated with a modest but statistically significant increase in weight loss over a relatively short time (less than or equal to 6 months). No studies have assessed their long-term effects.
• No studies have assessed the effect of ephedra on athletic performance. The few studies that assessed the effect of ephedrine support a modest effect of ephedrine plus caffeine on very-short-term (1-2 hours after a single dose) athletic performance in a highly selected physically fit population.
• The use of synthetic ephedrine or ephedra plus botanicals containing caffeine is associated with 2-3 times the risk of nausea, vomiting, psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and change in mood, autonomic hyperactivity, and palpitations compared with placebo.

Side effects of ephedra

Ephedrine, ephedrine plus caffeine and all of dietary supplements containing ephedra all promote modest amounts of weight loss over the short term. There are no data reporting long-term effects on weight loss.From some source, the use of ephedra or ephedrine plus caffeine is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal, psychiatric, and autonomic symptoms. Beside this, the adverse event reports contain a sufficient number of cases of death, myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular accident, seizure, or serious psychiatric illness in young adults to warrant a hypothesis-testing study, such as a case-control study, to support or refute the hypothesis that consumption of ephedra or ephedrine may be causally related to these serious adverse events.

Conclusion

The use ephedra or dietary supplements containing ephedra may be will help us in losing weight. But, it has many side effects which will make our body worse. So, we can say that using Ephedra for weight loss is not good choice. There are a lot of supplements expect ephedra which can help you to lose weight.

Sources: NIH.Gov, AHRQ.gov, FDA.gov

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