Weight loss supplements are flooding the market
Recently, Market Management Team No. 17 (Hanoi Market Management Department) discovered and seized a number of functional foods that are said to be effective for weight loss, including the banned substance sibutramine.
Market Management Team No. 17 seized more than 2,000 functional food pills that support weight loss that were counterfeited in a sophisticated manner. The packaging, labels, boxes and tablets inside were all counterfeited to look exactly like the real thing.
More sophisticated subjects also put anti-counterfeit stamps on fake products to increase trust. Notably, during the inspection and seizure process, the authorities sent the products for testing and discovered sibutramine inside.
It is known that sibutramine is a banned substance that causes loss of appetite in users, thereby creating a weight loss effect. Many individuals enjoy the feeling of loss of appetite, thinking that they can lose weight quickly, but the side effects of using this compound are very dangerous to health. Increased blood pressure, convulsions, dilated pupils, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, lightheadedness... are the basic manifestations.
Sibutramine has been banned by the Ministry of Health, but for personal profit, dishonest traders still put it in fake drugs and then sell it to consumers.
According to the Market Management Force, in order to conceal the production facility, the chosen form of sale is to sell on social networks and e-commerce platforms - where there is no sanction to check the reliability of the product, so with cheaper prices and identical packaging, it has attracted a large number of purchases.
Drinking coffee to lose weight had to be hospitalized in an emergency
A female patient (37 years old, Gia Lam, Hanoi) gained a lot of weight after giving birth to her third child. Fearing that it would affect her figure, she bought a box of 30 packs of weight loss coffee for 550,000 VND.
She said the weight loss coffee tastes sweet and aromatic like milk coffee, very easy to drink. She started to feel tired after drinking it for 3 days. On the 4th day, after 15 minutes of drinking it, she felt short of breath, cold, thirsty, her body temperature dropped, and she still felt cold even when she turned on the heater or covered herself with a cotton blanket. Finally, she fell unconscious, had convulsions, foamed at the mouth, and had incontinence, and her family had to rush her to the emergency room.
Bach Mai Hospital doctors admitted the patient in a lethargic state, with severe hyponatremia. CT scan results showed brain damage. After 10 days of treatment, the patient's health gradually recovered.
According to the results of the National Institute of Forensic Medicine, the weight loss coffee package contains sibutramine which has dangerous effects on health.
According to Dr. Nguyen Trung Nguyen - Director of the Anti-Poison Center, Bach Mai Hospital, sibutramine has many toxicities and side effects, and risks of cardiovascular events, especially stroke and myocardial infarction.
Doctors recommend that losing weight for beauty is an essential need for women, however people should not believe in advertisements for products of unknown origin, functional food products sold widely on the market of unknown origin. The best way to lose weight is to exercise daily and have a reasonable diet.
