It’s believed that up to 40% of Americans take weight loss or body building supplements daily. According to a recent review of the US Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network, diet and muscle pills are the most common causes of liver injury.
With the plethora of diet and body building supplements on the market, it’s hard to fully understand the health benefits – and risks – associated with these common pills. They can be purchased over the counter and they are generally not prescribed by a medical doctor. The potential toxicity of diet and muscle pills are often not well defined and poorly regulated.
“Basically, we see many issues with supplements and this is another example of this unregulated territory,” says Dr. Joel Schlessinger. “I often find liver injury in my Accutane patients or other patients who are taking supplements and don’t know they can cause problems.”
In the research, investigators identified 1048 cases of liver injury over 8 years and found that 18.4% of these cases were solely attributed to dietary supplement usage and 31% were due to body building supplements. Other products that may attribute to liver damage included immune support products, mental health medications and cough and cold formulas.
Dr. Joel Schlessinger advises his patients to stay away from all weight loss supplements and muscle pills.
“It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether your body will do well with them or not. No one is taking bloodwork to make sure these supplements aren’t causing liver damage,” he says.
Be sure to check with your physician before taking any over-the-counter supplement to avoid harm or injury.