FDA should ban Dietary Supplements that contain BMPEA: Charles Schumer

Earlier, officials found that a number of supplements that promise weight-loss or boost energy for exercising contained a harmful chemical that resembles amphetamine. According to reports, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not ban such supplements.

Health experts advised that there are a number of products that could be contaminated with the chemical. Before taking supplements to lose weight or boost energy for exercising, an individual should double check what is in the product.

While talking about the issue, Charles Schumer, senior United States Senator from New York and a member of the Democratic Party, added his voice on Sunday to a growing chorus of public officials advising the federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services to ban the over-the-counter dietary supplements that contained the harmful chemical. Schumer said that FDA should take appropriate steps to ban widely used dietary supplements that contain BMPEA.

Lab tests on those over-the-counter supplements showed that the supplements had beta-methylphenylethylamine, or BMPEA, which is chemically related to amphetamines. While urging FDA to ban such products, Schumer said that BMPEA closely resembles amphetamine stimulants and could cause some serious health problems like suppress sleep and like increased blood pressure. It could also lead to other complications like stroke, Schumer added.

According to Schumer, sometimes BMPEA is not listed on the labels of the products, so a buyer may not even be aware that their chosen supplement contains this addictive stimulant. It is FDA's duty to take out such products from the store shelves, Schumer added.

Schumer said, "The FDA's report showing that widely used dietary supplements contain a hidden, hazardous chemical is jaw dropping. The FDA should ban these tainted supplements immediately and make sure the companies involved are held accountable".