Ephedra-Free Products
With the rising concern about the adverse effects of Ephedra and the banning of Ephedra products sales in the U.S., many companies have altered their weight loss products to be "Ephedra-free." Metabolife is one such company, previously a large producer of Ephedra products.
Metabolife Ephedra-Free
Contains caffeine and extracts of green tea, garcinia cambogia, and yerba mate (more caffeine)
Studies of a single dose shows that it does not elevate BP or prolong QTc interval
Many other manufacturers now have ephedra-free products, but each product is likely to contain different herbs. This points out the importance of examining ingredients and looking up information.
For example, I did not know anything about Garcinia cambogia, so I did a quick search in "CAM on PubMed" sponsored by the NIH National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and found the following:
Garcinia cambogia contains hydroxycitric acid which suppresses of fatty acid and fat synthesis. It may also decrease appetite secondary to stimulation of liver gluconeogenesis.
An RCT shows that use of Gacinia cambogia results in similar weight loss to placebo.
A combination product with other herbs reduced body fat but not weight.
No adverse effects have been reported.
The Bottom Line
As physicians we will need a lot more research to be comfortable with most combination products. Looking into the evidence for individual product ingredients is one important way to help guide patients in deciding whether to use these supplements.