Originally published February 13 2006
Miami paper warns about the unknown risks of Brazilian diet pills
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Miami Herald has been tracking the rising popularity of Brazilian diet pills, which reports have claimed are responsible for fast-paced weight loss, and many officials worry that people are putting their health at risk by taking pills with possibly dangerous ingredients.
So-called "Brazilian diet pills," -- despite their possibly dangerous ingredients and unknown manufacturers -- have become incredibly popular based on reports that they are responsible for people losing as much as 20 pounds in three weeks.
The Miami Herald has been following this story and it appears from yesterday's report by John Dorschner that this situation is becoming serious.
Unfortunately, customers purchasing these pills are playing Russian roulette with their health since the pills, sold under the names Emagrece Sim and Herbathin, have become infiltrated with look-alikes, counterfeits, and bogus versions containing potentially harmful ingredients.
As a result of their enormous popularity, the Emagrece Sim pills have triggered a series of copycats that claim to use ''all-natural ingredients" Some of these "other" pills have tested positive for amphetamines and tranquilizers, which are illegal substances in non-prescription drugs.
The pills are always sold in identical-looking white bottles with an orange or yellow top and with labels that, almost always, do not identify a distributor or manufacturer.
Last spring the agency accused the Brazilian manufacturer, Fytoterapicos, which claims to be the original creator of Emagrece Sim, of improper labeling.
As for the question of what exactly the drugs contain, Fytoterapicos's lawyer, Mitchell Fuerst said his clients maintain that their product contains no amphetamines or generic Prozac.
According to Terry Hall of Toxicology Testing Service, which performs tests on the diet drugs, however, no such error was made.
Hall said his lab does not confuse L-tryptophan and amphetamines.
He believes his lab tests including results that found illegal substance in Emagrece Sim pills are correct.
In addition to finding illegal substances in Emagrece Sim, Toxicology Testing Service also found amphetamines and the tranquilizer benzos in the spin-off diet pill Herbathin.
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