Ephedra and guarana supplements may be harmful to obese people

By Erik Ricasa

Published on July 22, 2005

The study consisted of two tests performed on 16 healthy adults. One test was conducted on Xenadrine RFA, which contains ephedra, while the other test was conducted on a combination of ephedra and guarana. The results of the study showed that repeated use of ephedra and guarana had a negative impact on glucose and potassium homeostasis and could potentially worsen conditions related to obesity such as metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance.

Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned ephedra in April 2004, a US District Court Judge in Salt Lake City, Utah lifted the ephedra ban. The FDA was additionally order to reconsider the ephedra ban. The US District Court ruled the FDA did not prove small doses of ephedra posed sufficient danger.

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