FRIDAY, Oct. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Dietary supplements from Herbalife have been implicated in several cases of hepatotoxicity, resulting in recommendations that herbal products and other complementary medicines be more closely regulated, according to a report published in the October issue of the Journal of Hepatology.
Alain M. Schoepfer, M.D., of the University Hospital of Bern in Switzerland, and colleagues investigated the prevalence and outcome of hepatotoxicity associated with use of Herbalife dietary supplements in the Swiss population. The researchers mailed questionnaires to all public Swiss hospitals inquiring about potential cases.
The researchers identified 12 cases of hepatitis associated with Herbalife products, of which 10 had sufficient documentation to allow in-depth analysis. Median patient age was 51 years, and median time to onset of symptoms was five months. Liver biopsy showed a variety of patterns. One patient with fulminant hepatic failure was transplanted successfully. Adverse drug reaction as the cause of hepatotoxicity was classified as certain in two cases, probable in seven cases and possible in one case.
A related editorial comments that these findings "emphasize the need for caution regarding poorly labeled herbal weight-loss products with questionable benefits and, considering the principle 'first, do no harm,' clearly shift the risk-benefit ratio against their use."
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