Copyright
©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Dec 7, 2008; 14(45): 6999-7004
Published online Dec 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.6999
Published online Dec 7, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.6999
Hydroxycut hepatotoxicity: A case series and review of liver toxicity from herbal weight loss supplements
Lily Dara, Department of Medicine, Griffin Hospital, Derby CT 06520, United States
Jennifer Hewett, Joseph Kartaik Lim, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven CT 06520, United States
Author contributions: Dara L wrote the article; Hewett J and Lim JK critically revised the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Joseph Kartaik Lim, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director, Yale Viral Hepatitis Program, Yale Liver Center, Section of Digestive Diseases, Yale University School of Medicine, PO Box 208019, New Haven CT 06520, United States. joseph.lim@yale.edu
Telephone: +1-203-7376063 Fax: +1-203-7857273
Received: April 17, 2008
Revised: June 2, 2008
Accepted: June 9, 2008
Published online: December 7, 2008
Revised: June 2, 2008
Accepted: June 9, 2008
Published online: December 7, 2008
Abstract
Dietary supplements represent an increasingly common source of drug-induced liver injury. Hydroxycut is a popular weight loss supplement which has previously been linked to hepatotoxicity, although the individual chemical components underlying liver injury remain poorly understood. We report two cases of acute hepatitis in the setting of Hydroxycut exposure and describe possible mechanisms of liver injury. We also comprehensively review and summarize the existing literature on commonly used weight loss supplements, and their individual components which have demonstrated potential for liver toxicity. An increased effort to screen for and educate patients and physicians about supplement-associated hepatotoxicity is warranted.
Keywords: Hydroxycut; Dietary supplements; Liver; Liver failure; Toxicity; Weight loss; Medicine; Hepatitis