Ho Chi Minh City Police have just prosecuted and temporarily detained Vo Thi Ngoc Ngan (nickname "Ngan 98") for producing and trading counterfeit food that endangers the health of consumers.
According to the investigation results, since 2021, Ngan has cooperated with a number of factories in Hanoi to process "health protection products for weight loss" such as Super Detox X3, X7, X1000.
Taking advantage of the "gatory" form, Ngan produced an additional type of "collagen vegetable" without a circulation license, labeling the X3 - X7 - X100 brand and advertising to "increase weight loss effectiveness".
Although it says gated goods, not sold to deal with it, in fact this product is sold with a full set, encouraging buyers to use it in parallel to lose 4-15kg in one treatment.
The results of the examination of the Institute of Criminal Science - Ministry of Public Security determined that Ngan's products were counterfeit and did not meet quality standards; in which, some "collagen stele" samples contained sibutramine and phenolphthalein - two banned substances that can cause cardiovascular disorders, blood pressure and cancer risk.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporter about this issue, Dr. Nguyen Hong Vu, PhD in Mobile Biology in Medicine, said: The situation of weight loss products containing banned substances has not been a problem for many years. About 5 years ago, a storm called "Golean Detox Herbal Weight Loss Detox" was discovered to contain banned drugs in a series of places around the world.
"Understanding the need to lose weight "favorably", without diet or exercise, food products such as tea for weight loss, powder, weight loss pills... were born with attractive advertisements such as losing 1-4kg immediately after 14 days of use without side effects, no fatigue, no need to exercise... However, behind the immediate results could be serious health risks due to containing banned substances used in medicine.
If you buy it for try and see immediate weight loss results, without dieting or exercising, do not rush to be happy but should worry that the product may contain banned substances. It is no surprise that the FDA has mentioned hundreds of weight loss products containing banned substances in the past time" - Dr. Nguyen Hong Vu analyzed.
According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Vu, Sibutramine is one of the most commonly discovered "secret" substances in weight loss products. This is a compound used to reduce appetite, often used in the treatment of "disease" obesity.
This compound is strictly regulated and was removed from the market in October 2010 for safety reasons. The product containing this substance can be harmful to consumers because it has the risk of high blood pressure, increased heart rate for normal people and can be dangerous for people with a history of coronary artery disease, heart attack, arrhythmia or stroke. This product can also interact with other medications that users are taking, which can lead to a fatal risk.
The second banned substance that is often secretly mixed is Phenolphthalein. This substance has been used in the treatment of constipation, but because studies show that it has the potential to be a carcinogen, it has been limited and the FDA has banned the circulation of drugs to treat constipation containing this substance without a prescription since 1999.
According to FDA information, Phenolphthalein is not currently present in the active ingredient of any drug currently used in the United States.
In Vietnam, we do not lack toxic products like this, as mentioned in the past: Golean Detox herbal tea, Royal weight loss coffee, Moc slim herbal drink...
"According to scientific research to date, there is no proven functional food or herbal tea that can be used for safe weight loss purposes without the need to combine exercise and diet.
Safe weight loss is a process that requires time and perseverance - there is no shortcut that is not without potential risks. Choose a scientific way to lose weight to protect your long-term health" - this expert recommends.
