Consumers are being warned to buy dietary supplements and similar products only from companies proven to be reliable, with hazardous additives being found in many of them.
Five groups of dangerous substances found contaminating products include erectile dysfunction treatment medicines, weight-loss drugs, laxatives, steroids and stimulants, director-general Dr Sukhum Kanchanaphimai said on Tuesday.
Sixteen substances in these groups hazardous to health were detected in various samples of everyday food supplements and other products tested last year, and are now on the department’s “priority watch list”, he said.
“We’ve found in our surveillance programme these dangerous substances being illegally mixed in various products registered and marketed as food supplements. So, next time you consider buying one, make sure you buy it only from a reliable supplier,” he said.
“If you experience any unusual conditions after taking any dietary supplements, please stop using them immediately, promptly consult a doctor and notify the food and drug authorities,” he said.
In the past year, the department has found the weight-loss medication sibutramine in 3% of the samples of powdered instant coffee products tested, erectile dysfunction drugs in 30% of the samples, and steroids in 8% of the samples tested in this type of products, he said.
In last year’s random tests on products marketed as food supplements, the department found 24% of them contained weight-loss drugs, either sibutramine or orlistat, or both of them, he said.
About 29% of the supplements tested were found to contain erectile dysfunction drugs, mostly sildenafil.
In random tests on beverages marketed as dietary supplements, the department found 3% of the tested samples contained sibutramine, Dr Sukhum said.
Making the headlines recently, the Lyn weight-loss supplement linked to fatalities was found to contain sibutramine, a drug that decreases appetite and caloric intake but was banned due to increased risk of cardiovascular issues.
