March 2007

Weight loss supplements widely used

Roughly one in seven U.S. adults has used nonprescription dietary weight loss supplements but few tell their doctors about it, according to the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Approximately 9,400 U.S. adults (ages 18 and older) were interviewed by phone in 2002 about their weight and weight loss efforts, including the use of nonprescription dietary weight loss supplements.

Fifteen percent of participants said they had used such supplements, and nearly 9 percent said they had done so in the past year.

Women ages 18–34 had the highest reported use of nonprescription dietary weight loss supplements. Ephedra, chromium, and/or bitter orange were the key ingredients in the most commonly used weight loss supplements, the study shows.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned supplements containing ephedra in April 2004, about 16 months after the study was completed.

Two-thirds of the people who had used weight loss supplements in the past year hadn’t discussed use of those supplements with their doctors. Doctors and patients are urged to discuss the use of weight loss supplements.

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