Sport and dietary supplement warning - Queensland Health

20 November 2013
Sport and dietary supplement warning
Queensland’s Department of Health is urging people to exercise caution if using sports and
dietary supplements without medical supervision.
The warning comes as Queensland authorities investigate two cases of acute non-viral
hepatitis in body builders with potential links to the consumption of sports and dietary
supplements.
Chief health Officer Dr Jeannette Young said acute non-viral hepatitis was damage to liver
cells from any cause lasting less than six months.
‘‘Acute non-viral hepatitist is not contagious and symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of
appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay coloured bowel movements,
joint pain, yellow eyes, and jaundice,’’ Dr Young said.
The United States Food and Drug Administration have been investigating a specific sports
supplement called OxyELITE Pro that has been linked with cases of acute non-viral
hepatitis in the US, particularly Hawaii.
‘‘Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) recently advised consumers not to use
OxyELITE Pro supplements due to them potentially being linked to the US cases.
‘‘This supplement, OxyELITE Pro, may be available to Australians online however, a recall
of these products has now been conducted in the US.’’
Dr Young said the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had issued an alert to
consumers not to take OxyELITE Pro capsules, which contain a prescription only
substance in Australia.
‘‘Taking these capsules could pose serious health risks for people with underlying risk
factors,’’ Dr Young said.
“People also need to be particularly careful about purchasing products online as they can
have unsafe ingredients and consumers can’t be certain they are getting legitimate
products.
‘‘Consumers should especially exercise caution if consuming a number of these types of
sports and dietary products in combination as the effects and interactions of those
supplements may be unknown.’’
Dr Young said the department recommended that anyone considering the use of any type
of sports or dietary supplement should seek medical advice.
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‘‘Consumers who experience any health effects as a result of consuming these or any
dietary supplements should seek urgent medical assistance.’’
For further information go to:
• http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/media/Pages/Alert-US-investigation-into-dietarysupplements.aspx
• http://www.tga.gov.au/safety/alerts-medicine-oxyelite-110708.htm
• http://www.fda.gov/Food/RecallsOutbreaksEmergencies/Outbreaks/ucm370849.htm
ENDS
Media contact: 3234 1439
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