UAE | Health
Slimming products sold outside pharmacies unsafe
Abu Dhabi inspections prove presence of harmful chemicals
- By Samihah Zaman, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 February 22, 2012
- Image Credit: Supplied
- Many weight-loss products are sold with misleading labels that promise rapid reduction in weight without the need for exercise.
Abu Dhabi Health officials in Abu Dhabi have warned against the use of weight-loss products available at non-pharmaceutical establishments in the emirate.
This follows a review by the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) last year of 30 slimming products being sold across groceries, supermarkets and other shops in the emirate. Half of the items investigated were found to contain harmful substances such as sibutramine and alvenulfthalin.
Sibutramine is known to raise blood pressure and cause irregular heart rhythms, while alvenulfthalin is believed to have carcinogenic effects.
"We have witnessed more and more people opting for such slimming products, despite repeated warnings about their risks," said Dr Ali Obaid Al Ali, director of health regulation at the HAAD.
"Many consumers also mistakenly believe that products marketed as herbal are safe — whereas our laboratory tests on numerous products with such labels have revealed traces of banned and harmful substances in them."
Many weight-loss products are sold with misleading labels that promise rapid reduction in weight without the need for exercise, while others are labelled in languages other than English and Arabic, Dr Jamal Al Ka'abi, director of customer service and governmental communication at the HAAD, told Gulf News.
Safety checks
"While we inspect all items stocked by licensed pharmacies for their safety for consumption and accuracy of labelling, other outlets do not undergo the same rigorous checks. Still, if people inquire about the safety of a product, we immediately look into it," he said.
Last year, the HAAD checked 30 weight-loss products and 30 other dietary supplements. The tests were, in fact, conducted after residents voiced to the authority their doubts about the safety of these products.
N.M., a 20-year-old student from Palestine, said she had experienced first-hand the harmful effects of weight loss supplements.
"I was facing trouble with my kidneys, and came across someone who had kidney failure after taking these weight-loss pills for some time," she said.
"In addition, these supplements tended to become less effective after a while but when I stopped taking them, I put all the weight back on."
Having taken 10 different weight-loss supplements since the age of 11, she finally opted to lose weight through exercise and a proper diet.
List of unsafe slimming products
Botanical Slimming, Dream Body slimming capsule, Fruit Plant losing fat capsule, Ja Dera 100% natural weight loss supplement, Leisure 18 slimming coffee, Lishou, Lose weight coffee, Magic Slim tea, P 57 Hoodia, Phentrburn slimming capsules, Slender Slim 11, Slim Forte slimming capsules, Natural Max Slim capsules, Seven Slim, Miaozi capsules, Zotreem capsules, Starvex capsules, Super Slim, A-slim 100% natural slimming capsule, Acai berry soft gel ABC, Advanced Slim 5, Magic Slim weight reduction capsule, Pai You Guo Slim tea, Shen Yuan Fang, Tengda, Slim Forte Double Power slimming capsule
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