Monkey Business Images/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A new study found that an amphetamine isomer present in some dietary supplement products may not be safe for human use.
B-methylphenylethylamine (BMPEA) was originally created in the 1930s. The study, published in the journal Drug Testing and Analysis, says that BMPEA was never studied regarding its safety or efficacy in humans.
Consumers of certain substances “may be exposed to pharmacological dosages of an amphetamine isomer that lacks evidence of safety in humans,” the study concludes.
At least one such substance, Jetfuel Superburn, was recalled by Canada’s public health agency Health Canada last year, after it was found to contain BMPEA.
“BMPEA has not before been sold as a food or supplement and, therefore, is not a legitimate supplement ingredient,” the authors of the study wrote. “The FDA discovered BMPEA in supplements purchased as early as 2012, but has yet to inform the public or take enforcement action to remove BMPEA from dietary supplements.”
The study looked, in particular, at supplements labeled as containing Acacia rigidula, finding that more than 50 percent contained BMPEA as well.
The Council for Responsible Nutrition called for the FDA to “take action before there are serious health consequences.”
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