Ephedra, weight loss and you
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the sale of ephedra weight loss pills in 2004 due to concern about serious side effects, including death. The FDA claimed that ephedra raises blood pressure, stresses the circulatory system and “poses an unreasonable risk” to the health of people who take ephedra weight loss products. Because the sale of ephedra weight loss pills remains illegal, the weight loss supplement industry has begun marketing “ephedra-free,” “ephedrine-free” or “legal” ephedra products, in which ephedra is replaced with other weight loss stimulants like bitter orange and caffeine.
However, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., says bitter orange contains chemicals similar to ephedra, such as synephrine and octopamine, which may speed up your heart rate and increase your blood pressure, and that bitter orange is not a safe replacement for ephedra weight loss supplements.