Dietary Supplements & Diet Pills Contain Amphetamine-Like Substance; List of Products Here

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An amphetamine-like substance in dietary supplements and diet pills were found to have never been tested on humans and may cause long term problems, according to a new research.

The substance known as beta-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA) is a lab-made stimulant found in some dietary supplements that contain Acacia Rigidula, according to the LA Times.

Dr. Pieter Cohen, the lead of the study and a Harvard professor, warned of its long term effects. "What we know is that in dogs and cats it can increase blood pressure, increase heart rate," Cohen said in an appearance on CBS. "These are things that are signals in humans will lead or turn into heart attacks, strokes and maybe even sudden death."

He added that while this ingredient can lead to weight loss, it may have harmful consequences.

In the study published in the Drug Testing and Analysis journal, the Food and Drug Administration failed to warn consumers and order the removal of BMPEA after discovering it in dietary supplements in 2013.

"The FDA should immediately warn consumers about BMPEA and take aggressive enforcement action to eliminate BMPEA in dietary supplements," according to the study. "Physicians should remain vigilant for patients presenting with toxicity from sports and weight-loss supplements as they might contain undisclosed stimulants, such as BMPEA."

According to FDA spokeswoman Juli Putnam, the agency published the research of BMPEA found in supplements containing Acacia rigidula in 2013.

"While our review of the available information on products containing BMPEA does not identify a specific safety concern at this time, the FDA will consider taking regulatory action, as appropriate, to protect consumers," she said.

Acacia rigidula is a shrub that is native to southern Texas and Mexico. It's presence in many supplements concerned Dr. Cohen, according to The New York Times. He added that companies often lace dietary supplements with chemicals that act like amphetamine and then hide them under obscure plant names to make it appear that the ingredients came from natural botanicals.

Vitacost.com Inc., a manufacturer in Boca Raton Florida, pulled out all products containing BMPEA from its website to conduct more studies.

"The health and safety of our customers is our highest priority," said Kathleen Reed, a spokesperson for Vitacost, a unit of Kroger Co.

"While the FDA has not declared the fat-burning ingredient BMPEA to be harmful, we take safety concerns very seriously for all of the 45,000+ products sold on Vitacost.com," Reed said in the article by the LA Times.

These are some of the supplements found to contain BMPEA:

1. JetFuel Superburn

2. JetFuel T-300

3. MX-LS7

4. Aro Black Series Burn

5. Black Widow

6. Dexaprine XR

7. Fastin-XR

8. Lipodrene Hardcore

9. Lipodrene Xtreme

10. Stimerex-ES

11. Yellow Scorpion