RIGHT CALL ON EHPREDRA

FDA Ban Of Diet Aid Justified By Risks To Health

Losing weight is a perennial New Year's resolution. That makes the decision
by the Food and Drug Administration to ban a dangerous diet supplement
particularly timely -- if not terribly popular.

The grousing is unfounded. The decision was the right one. Ephedra -- a
chemical compound similar to amphetamine -- is a dangerous drug being sold
in dangerous quantities to anyone with enough money to purchase it. The
levels of ephedra often found in over-the-counter diet aids were enough to
cause serious heart problems in otherwise healthy people, and the drug has
been tied to at least 155 deaths. Several of the victims were teen-aged
athletes whose parents never knew they were taking the supplement.

If anything, the FDA waited too long. Evidence against ephedra's safety has
been building for years. That it took so long to erupt into full public
controversy speaks volumes about the influence wielded by well-funded and
politically influential nutritional-supplement companies like Metabolife,
who boldly lied to the FDA about thousands of "adverse incidents" involving
their ephedra-containing diet aid between 1997 and 2002.

A report by the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight found
that Metabolife illegally concealed 3 deaths, 20 heart attacks, 24 strokes,
40 seizures, 465 episodes of chest pains and 966 reports of heart rhythm
disturbances, along with complaints of high blood pressure and psychiatric
problems, including psychosis. And that's just from one manufacturer among
dozens.

Contrary to public opinion, there is no established "safe" dose of ephedra.
But even if there were, consumers would have no way to judge how much of
the drug they are getting, because most preparations don't put that
information on the label. Nor do they provide warnings about potential
interactions with caffeine (another powerful stimulant often used in diet
aids).

The FDA's action may seem drastic. But it was justified. It protects
countless Americans who would otherwise discover -- perhaps too late --
what "dying to be thin" really means.