March 11, 2003 – Although ephedrine is used by many athletes to enhance their performance1, its effectiveness in this area remains to be proven, says a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)2.
This conclusion is based on a meta-analysis of seven studies examining the effectiveness of ephedrine in a sports setting, but only synthetic ephedrine. Natural ephedra has not been studied.
The results of this study are accompanied by an editorial3 muscular, in which the editors of JAMA demand from the government a tighter regulation of the trade of dietary supplements. They believe that the current system does not effectively protect the safety and health of consumers who purchase these supplements.
The authors propose an action plan in four points: a reassessment of products currently considered “food supplements”; the obligation for supplement manufacturers to support any claims of health effects with scientific evidence; the creation of a monitoring system for side effects; and verifying the honesty and accuracy of advertisements.
Their cry of alarm comes as California authorities file legal action against Cytodyne Techologies, the maker of an ephedra-based dietary supplement linked to the recent death of a baseball player. The authorities want in particular to oblige the company to disclose in its advertisements the known health risks presented by the product.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has also just announced its intention to impose, by 2004, new rules on manufacturers of dietary supplements. Please see the PasseportSanté.net article on this subject.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
According to JAMA, March 26, 2003.
1. Charatan F. Ephedra supplement may have contributed to sportsman’s death. BMJ 2003; 326: 464. [Consulté le 11 mars 2003].
2. Shekelle, PG & al. Efficacy and Safety of Ephedra and Ephedrine for Weight Loss and Athletic Performance. A Meta-analysis. JAMA : jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v289n12/rfull/jrv20107.html [Consulté le 11 mars 2003].
3. Fontanarosa PB, Rennie D, DeAngelis C. The Need for Regulation of Dietary Supplements Lessons From Ephedra. JAMA : jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v289n12/ffull/jed30017.html [Consulté le 11 mars 2003].