Women who take the pill should avoid consuming the Chewable Hair Vitamins® dietary supplement. More generally, food supplements are not good for health, except in the case of specific medical recommendation.
- In 2019, ANSES received two reports of life-threatening acute hepatitis likely to be linked to the consumption of this food supplement.
- Avoid multiple, prolonged or repeated intakes of food supplements during the year without consulting a health professional (doctor, dietitian, etc.).
ANSES recommends that women on oral contraception do not consume the food supplement Chewable Hair Vitamins®. Marketed by HairBurst, the Chewable Hair Vitamins® product is a food supplement, in the form of chewing gum, used in particular for hair vitality.
“An emergency liver transplant”
As part of its nutrivigilance system, in 2019 ANSES received two reports of life-threatening acute hepatitis likely to be linked to the consumption of this food supplement. “The two women, aged 29 and 36, had to be hospitalized and one of them had to receive an emergency liver transplant. Both were taking oral contraceptives,” reports the health agency.
According to ANSES, the responsibility of the food supplement in the occurrence of these two severe acute hepatitis was very likely, even if nothing has yet been formally proven. Several hypotheses are possible: “a complex effect of the combination of the many ingredients of the product, an interaction with other substances, in particular those contained in oral contraceptives, or even a possible contamination or adulteration, that is to say an addition of a substance fraudulently”, explain the experts.
Recommendations for all dietary supplements
More generally, the consumption of food supplements is not good for health, except in the event of specific medical recommendation. ANSES therefore recommends:
– Report to a health professional any undesirable effect occurring following the consumption of a food supplement.
– Comply with the conditions of use set by the manufacturer.
– Avoid multiple, prolonged or repeated intakes during the year of food supplements without having taken advice from a health professional (doctor, dietician, etc.).
– Be very vigilant vis-à-vis abusive allegations.
– Be very careful when buying products sold in non-traditional channels (internet, gyms, etc.) and without individualized advice from a healthcare professional.
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