A warning from the Food and Drug Administration: Don’t buy or drink Total Body Formula in the Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar flavors or Total Body Mega Formula in the Orange/Tangerine flavor. The liquid dietary supplements have been voluntarily recalled because they may cause severe side effects including significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain and fatigue.
The Total Body Formula products are sold in eight-ounce and 32-ounce plastic bottles. The Total Body Mega Formula is sold in 32-ounce plastic bottles. Both are distributed by Total Body Essential Nutrition of Atlanta.
The Florida Department of Health recently found 23 people had serious reactions to these products seven to 10 days after they drank them. In all cases, the reactions included significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain and fatigue. There is also a report that some people in Tennessee using the same products have had similar reactions.
The FDA is analyzing samples of the dietary supplements to find out what is causing the reactions, including the possibility that the products have too much selenium which is known to cause symptoms like the ones described. Selenium is a trace mineral and you only need a small amount of it to get its benefits.
The products have been distributed in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
The FDA warns consumers in all states to avoid using the products immediately and to throw them away. If you’ve been taking the products and have had any side effects, you should call your doctor. You can also report the problems to the FDA’s MedWatch program at 800-FDA-1088 or online here.
*Update May 2, 2008:
It looks like the Food and Drug Administration has found the ingredients in Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula that have been making people sick. After analyzing the products, the FDA found dangerous levels of selenium and chromium.
Too much selenium can cause symptoms like significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain, fatigue, loss of finger nails and blistering skin.
Too much chromium can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, hyperactivity, hypoglycemia, renal failure and liver toxicity, and it can interfere with some medications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now reports 201 people have gotten sick after taking the dietary supplements in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
