"OxyElite Pro" Induced Fulminant Hepatotoxicity

Abstract

Around 35% of adults or more are overweight according to a report by Global Health Observatory (GHO). In the absence of proven medical therapeutics, the use of dietary supplements to effect weight loss has increased and under much less scrutiny by regulatory agencies like the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA). For many, these approaches represent apparent alternatives to failed attempts at weight loss with the use of more conventional approaches [1]. Hepatotoxicity from supplements is a growing problem while the internet facilitates obtaining these agents across national regulatory boundaries. OxyElite Pro capsules are sold as a dietary supplement for weight loss and ‘’super thermogenic’’ agent (Figure1A & B). According to the manufacture, the proposed mechanism of action is ‘fat burning via the contained ingredients which are: Rauwolfia Canescens, Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3), Bauhinia Purpurea Trypsin Inhibitor (BPLTI), Bacopa monnieri, Geranium which contains a powerful constituent known as 1,3-Dimethylamylamine (DMAA), Cirsium Oligophyllum, and Caffeine’. A more recent formula of OxyElite Pro released in late 2012 contained a new ingredient, Aegeline. We describe a case of acute liver failure in an otherwise young healthy female after taking the newer OxyElite Pro formula to lose weight. Keywords: OxyElite Pro, Hepatotoxicity, acute liver failure, fulminant, herbal induced liver injury