A new study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine reveals that many women in the U.S. never heard about the FDA recall in 2009
Even though it was recalled by the FDA in 2009, many women in the United States continue to use Pai You Guo, a Chinese weight-loss supplement, despite the dangers. Why? A new study reveals that many women never heard about the recall.
Pai You Guo contains a combination of banned pharmaceutical products -- sibutramine and phenolphthalein. Sibutramine was the active ingredient in Meridia, a weight-loss drug that was recalled by the FDA because it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. Phenolphthalein was an ingredient once found in over-the-counter laxatives until it was labeled as a potential carcinogen. Both of these ingredients are banned in the United States.
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The study, conducted in Boston by Harvard Medical School researchers, surveyed over 550 females who were born in Brazil and live in the greater Boston area. Alternative diet products are popular in this community. The researchers found that 23 percent of the women said they had used Pai You Guo and 61 percent purchased the dietary supplement after the FDA recall. None of the Brazilian women in the study were aware of the recall.