(HealthDay is the new name for HealthScoutNews.)
SUNDAY, July 13, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- They can cost as much as $229 for a 60-day supply, but you'll probably be paying for a promise that can't be kept.
That's the conclusion of a new report on breast-enhancing herbal supplements, pills that purport to increase a woman's breasts by as much as one to two cup sizes, sometimes in a matter of weeks.
While the advertising claims are impressive, there's nothing in the way of scientific proof to back up the products or verify they are safe, says Dr. Adrienne Fugh-Berman, an associate clinical professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine.
"What we did with this report was try to discern if there were any clinical trials, animal studies or even laboratory studies that established that these products have the ability to increase breast size or that they are safe to use on a long-term basis. And we found neither. In fact, there were no studies done at all," says Berman, who published her findings in the June issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Berman says her research involved medical data spanning 38 years, from 1966 through 2002. And it covered three major databases of scientific study -- MEDLINE, REPROTOX and TOXLINE.
The searches failed to uncover any data linking the supplement formulas to breast enhancement. And the researchers also checked the individual ingredients in each of the formulas and found no connection to a change in breast size, Berman says.
Since supplements are considered a food and not a medicine, companies who manufacture herbal products aren't obligated to provide safety or efficacy studies before products are marketed. This, says Berman, is why she believes no research was ever conducted.
Although each of the supplements is somewhat unique in its formulation, nearly all claim the ingredients will stimulate breast tissue to grow in much the same way it did during puberty -- a time when a dramatic increase in the hormone estrogen triggers development.
In many instances, the supplements purport to initiate a similar action, says Berman, through the use of "phyto-estrogens" -- substantially weaker forms of estrogen derived from plants. The only problem is, she says, is that "there is virtually no science to show that plant estrogens have the same effect."
This fact, along with the current concerns over the use of estrogen compounds, should be enough to give women pause about these products, says plastic surgeon Dr. David L. Feldman.
"In light of what we now know about the dangers of estrogen, I can't see why any woman would take anything that's estrogen-related to try and make her breasts bigger, particularly without any proof that it works," says Feldman, director of plastic surgery at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
In addition, he notes, "As a plastic surgeon I am also bothered by the fact that many of these products play off women's fears of breast-enhancement surgery -- a proven and safe procedure -- in order to sell these products, which are basically unproven and possibly not safe. In my opinion, that is doing women a great disservice."
As harsh as the criticism seems to be, some experts point out that most -- if not all -- the ingredients used in the popular breast-enhancing supplements are traditional herbs that, on their own, have not been associated with any significant adverse effects.
In addition, even Berman's study concedes that, as of August 2002, none of the most popular bust-enhancing supplements was listed on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Special Nutritionals Adverse Event Reporting database. That means no one reported any negative experiences with these products.
Phillip Harvey is director of science for the National Nutritional Foods Association, a trade group that represents herbal supplement manufacturers. He says the lack of available studies uncovered by Berman doesn't necessarily mean that no research was conducted or the products are not safe.
"Frequently, very good medical studies may be presented within the confines of a medical conference and never published. What's more, the databases used in this report certainly do not cover every medical journal in the world, particularly European journals, where the testing of herbal supplements is more common," Harvey says.
So, he says, it's possible that some studies do exist.
Although Harvey believes everyone would benefit from published clinical trials on these products, he adds: "Since no products were mentioned by name in this report, it's hard to know for certain what is currently available in terms of proof."
For Berman, even the potential benefits of these products are still not worth the risk.
"To me, it's acceptable to take an unknown risk for a proven health benefit. But [these products] have no health benefits. And to take any amount of risk, even an unknown amount of risk for something that, at best, only has a cosmetic effect, is unacceptable," she says.
More information
To learn more about how breasts develop and grow, visit the Stanford University Medical Center. To learn more about breast health, visit The Maurer Foundation.
