Renowned retailer GNC has discontinued the sale of two products claimed to contain an ingredient that has been criticized by scientists, lobbyists, and politicians. The article, which appeared on USA Today yesterday says to have led to the website stripping off all information it had posted on the sale of the two products containing the suspect stimulant.
This stimulant, is said to be related to DMBA and is sold online as an active ingredient in many weight loss and mental focus products (see more here). The FDA has warned against the use of products that contain this substance, stating that it carries serious health risks such as heart attacks. Other names under which the stimulant is marketed include AMP citrate, 4-amino-2-methylpentane citrate.
The two products that were retailing on GNC, and are suspected to contain the stimulant go by the names Redline White Heat and Oxy THERM. When asked to comment on the when and why total withdraw of the product from their websites happened, GNC officials declined to answer.
However, GNC spokeswoman Laura Brophy did reply on email late Wednesday, stating that it was not the procedure for the company to make comments about the availability and selection of the products they sell. On Tuesday however, they had given a statement to USA today, defending their decision to sell the two products. They claimed that they relied on the contractual representation and warranty made by the manufacturers of the two products regarding their safety, which is common practice among the retailers.
A study was published on January which analyzed the amount of stimulants in the two products, and one of the co-authors of the study Pieter Cohen of Harvard, wondered why GNC hadn’t questioned the safety of the supplements. He wonders why GNC seemed to be okay with selling the products, which are obviously very dangerous.