Ephedra-free weight loss supplements often contain stimulant ingredients like synephrine, guarana, and caffeine that can still cause harmful side effects. Other risky ingredients include mood-altering herbs and garcinia cambogia, which has been linked to liver failure. Patients with certain medical conditions should avoid these supplements.
The safety of ephedra-free supplements is usually based on a product’s ingredient list. Some supplement manufacturers have replaced ephedra with other stimulant ingredients that can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and cause nausea. Common substitutes for ephedra include synephrine, guarana, and caffeine. Even products that claim to be all-natural or herbal can cause harmful side effects with overuse or in users with sensitivity to caffeine or caffeine-like substances.
Ephedra, also called ma huang, is a commonly used ingredient in weight loss formulas to boost metabolism. Caffeine and white willow bark, a natural alternative to aspirin, were often added to fat burners, creating an ephedra-caffeine-aspirin (ECA) stack. This specific formula is believed to be responsible for weight loss. When ephedra was banned in the United States due to highly publicized deaths associated with supplements containing it, companies were forced to create ephedra-free supplements. Synephrine was the ingredient that many nutraceutical companies used to replace ephedra.
Synephrine also goes by the names citrus aurantium and bitter orange. Marketed as a cousin to ephedra, synephrine has shown similar side effects without the intensity of ma huang. Therefore, to recreate the ECA stack, manufacturers may choose to replace ephedra with synephrine.
Synephrine isn’t the only ingredient commonly used in place of ma huang. Yerba mate, guarana, and caffeine are stimulants used in a variety of non-ephedra products. These ingredients increase the heart rate in the same way as ma huang, but tend to have fewer negative side effects.
Stimulants are just one of the risky ingredients included in ephedra-free products. The recalls of Hydroxycut supplements in the United States were caused by reports of liver failure in some dieters. Liver failure can have a variety of causes, but some experts believe that garcinia cambogia, which contains hydroxycitric acid, was responsible for the liver failure in Hydroxycut ephedra-free supplements.
A new trend in weight loss formulas involves adding mood-altering herbal ingredients. However, mood-altering herbs can have a negative effect on patients with mental illness, bipolar disorder, or depression. Phenylalanine is one of those ingredients. Such negative side effects can include mood swings and altered behavior.
Patients with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or thyroid disorders are generally warned not to take ephedra-free weight loss pills. Warnings are also generally included for patients with mental disorders and kidney disease. Weight loss supplement companies often market ephedra-free products as a healthy alternative to ma huang, but that’s not always the case.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
