воскресенье, 16 сентября 2012 г.

Taking the ultimate risk? Serious side effects possible from 'Orange,' said to be taken at NU - Chicago Sun-Times

If nothing else, ephedra has stimulated plenty of controversyamong medical experts and lawmakers. Critics claim it can cause highblood pressure, heart attacks, strokes and other ailments.

A chemical cousin of methamphetamine, ephedra is an ancientChinese herb that can act as a powerful stimulant, particularly whencombined with caffeine-rich herbal ingredients, such as guarana.

Ultimate Orange, an over-the-counter dietary supplement that hasbeen cited as the one taken by some Northwestern football players onthe day senior safety Rashidi Wheeler died during running drills,combines both ephedra and guarana. Wheeler died of an asthma attack,according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

The Wheeler family contends that at least 10 players droppedduring those drills. One NU player told the Los Angeles Times thatwhen so many players collapsed during the demanding drill session,suspicions immediately turned to the use of the supplement.

'I've never seen so many guys falling like that,' said the player,who spoke on condition he not be identified. 'After [Wheeler] passed,guys were like, 'Some guys took Ultimate Orange.' '

An NU spokesman said Saturday that the school's investigation intothe events surrounding Wheeler's death will include whethersupplements played a role.

The Los Angeles Times reported that two other recent footballdeaths have possible links to ephedra-based supplements:

*Curtis Jones, 34, died last Sunday after playing an indoorprofessional football game in Las Vegas. His family said Jones tookan ephedra derivative earlier in his career.

*Florida State freshman Devaughn Darling collapsed and died inFebruary after a workout. Autopsy results were inconclusive about thecause of death but revealed the presence of ephedrine in his system.

NU athletic department officials said last week that the schooltells its student-athletes to inform the team's medical staff of anydietary supplement they are taking. If those athletes have anyquestions about whether the substance is either harmful or illegalunder NCAA rules, the school said it encourages the players to bringit to the trainers.

'Whether or not they listen to that advice, who knows,' NUdirector of athletics Rick Taylor said during one of the school'snews conferences last weekend concerning the Aug. 3 death of Wheeler,22.

While manufacturers of such supplements have promised rich rewardsfor those taking over-the-counter herbal products containing ephedrawhile working out, many lawyers representing those who claim to havesuffered illnesses from them have claimed the same.

Which is why Internet searches for ephedra turn up Web siteseither sponsored by or with links to law firms specializing inephedra-related lawsuits.

Next Nutrition reportedly stopped producing Ultimate Orange lastMay, months after the company paid a $4 million out-of-courtsettlement to Todd Weger, a career Army and Gulf War veteran who hadbeen using Ultimate Orange for 18 months when he had a stroke whilerunning on a treadmill in 1998. Weger suffered brain damage and lostthe use of his left arm. There was no admission of guilt by NextNutrition, and the product was still available Saturday, which waswhen the Sun-Times purchased it at a local supplement store for$49.99.

Federal regulators have received more than 1,400 adverse-effectreports since 1994 from consumers claiming ephedra products causedeverything from mood swings, insomnia and diarrhea to heart attacksand seizures. The Food and Drug Administration has receivedapproximately 80 reports of ephedra-linked deaths.

Those large numbers of complaints have led lawmakers at both thefederal and state levels to debate regulating such substances.

Susan Davis, a Democratic assemblywoman in San Diego, sponsored aCalifornia bill last winter that would require manufacturers to postwarning labels on herbal products containing ephedra and wouldestablish an 800 number in Wheeler's home state to track adversereactions through the California Department of Health Services.

'We feel consumers ought to know there are some real risks intaking this drug,' Davis told NurseWeek magazine. '[Ephedra] can bevaluable, but it can also be quite deadly if used incorrectly.'

In the June edition of Consumer Reports, the magazine notes thatteenagers are especially vulnerable. People who take these productsare conducting what amounts to a vast, uncontrolled clinicalexperiment on themselves with untested, largely unregulatedmedications.

The magazine points out the few good scientific studies availableon these dietary supplements suggest they either are ineffective orat best produce only slight changes in performance. Little is knownabout the long-term safety of these products in adults, and even lessis known about their effect on teenagers.

According to the Consumer Reports study, 4 percent of Americanadults have taken a sports supplement at least once, including 1.2million who use the products regularly. Polls show adolescents areusing sports supplements as much as adults.

A national survey conducted by Blue Cross and Blue Shield foundthat 6 percent of 15- and 16-year-olds and 8 percent of 17- and 18-year-olds had taken a sports supplement. The majority of users weremale. About one in four respondents said they knew someone who tookthe products.