If you or a loved one has had a serious adverse reaction to Total Body Formula or Total Body Mega Formula Liquid Dietary Supplement, please contact Chanfrau & Chanfrau for a free case evaluation immediately.
FDA Warning to Consumers
about Dangers of Use of
Total Body Dietary Supplements
Beginning in March of this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that hazardous selenium levels were found in samples of the dietary supplement products “Total Body Formula” and “Total Body Mega Formula.” The new FDA finding comes as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the number of confirmed cases of adverse reactions in consumers using the products has climbed to at least 201 individuals in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia. Consumers are warned not to purchase or consume “Total Body Formula” in the Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar flavors and the “Total Body Mega Formula” in the Orange/Tangerine flavor. The sole distributor of the “Total Body Formula” and “Total Body Mega Formula” products has voluntarily recalled the affected products. As such, their website reads, “Warning…If you are taking Total Body Formula, Lot # 4016801, 4016802, 4024801, 4031801, 4031802 or 4031803 please stop taking it now and consult your physician. There is excessive selenium in the product that can cause serious health problems.”
An FDA analysis of samples of Total Body Formula and Total Body Mega Formula revealed drastically high levels of selenium. The testing found that the samples contained – per serving – 40,800 micrograms, an amount significantly higher than what was listed on the label: 200 micrograms. Selenium is an antioxidant that can be beneficial in small amounts. The recommended daily allowance of selenium is only 50-70 micrograms for healthy adults; however, most American adults consume a diet that is adequate in selenium and require no supplements. According to The Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, adults should not consume more then 400 micrograms daily to avoid selenium toxicity. In the short-term and via oral exposure to high concentrations of selenium, people may experience nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Chronic, oral exposure to high concentrations of selenium compounds can produce a disease called selenosis. The major signs of selenosis are hair loss; nail brittleness; muscle cramps; joint pain; fatigue; blistering skin; and neurological abnormalities, which include numbness and other odd sensations in the extremities.
Further FDA analysis of the “Total Body Formula” products revealed high levels of chromium as well. The samples contained up to 3,426 micrograms of chromium for the recommended serving (17 times the recommended intake). The recommended chromium intake for an adult ranges from 35 to 45 micrograms per day. Excessive consumption of chromium can cause fatigue, muscle cramps, hyperactivity, hypoglycemia, renal failure and liver toxicity. Excessive chromium intake also can interfere with certain medications.
More information about selenium and chromium and toxic effects of excessive intake is available from the CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry at: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/.
If you have been harmed by taking either Total Body Formula or Total Body Mega Formula, please contact us now for a FREE evaluation of your legal case.
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