Dietary Supplements Made With Untested Stimulants

A new type of workout supplement could be dangerous, according to recent FDA findings. Researchers discovered an untested stimulated used in some dietary supplements, according to recent findings published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis.

"All the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) would need to do is look at the labels of the products that we studied and they could immediately see . . . that this is not an ingredient that was previously in supplements," said lead study author Pieter Cohen, from Harvard Medical School and the Cambridge Health Alliance in Massachusetts, via Reuters Health.

Researchers are concerned regarding the ingredient DMBA (1,3-dimethylbutylamine), which is a synthetic stimulant. According to the researchers, DMBA is very similar to another compound, DMAA, and which has, unfortunately, been linked to causing heart attacks, seizures and neurological complications. In 2012, the FDA mandated companies to stop selling supplements made with DMAA.

DMBA, scientifically known as 2-amino-4-methylpentane or 2-amino-4-methylpentanamine, is often listed as AMP Citrate, 4-amino-2-methylpentane citrate, 4-amino-2-pentanamine, Pentergy and 4-AMP.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition recently drafted a letter to the FDA, nothing that AMP Citrate is being marketed as the next DMAA.

"CRN is concerned about the potential dangers to consumers who may be using possible unsafe supplements containing Amp Citrate," the authors stated, in a news release.

After searing online, they discovered 14 dietary supplement products and sent a bottle to each one to two different labs. The products were mostly marketed as sports or weight loss supplements, revealing 12 of the supplements that used DMBA.

The FDA has responded, stating, "Manufacturers of dietary supplements are responsible for ensuring that their supplements are safe and, where required, must submit a new dietary ingredient notification before marketing. Our pre-market authority for dietary supplements is limited to the requirement for NDI notification. We take this matter seriously and are considering the next steps."