Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements
The growing popularity and consumption of herbal slimming supplements can be attributed to their perception as natural products that lack side effects. However, the composition and ingredient quality listed on their labels often undergo insufficient control. As a result, some manufacturers add undec...
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| author | Oana Ramona Cătălina Gheorghiu Anne Marie Ciobanu Claudia Maria Guțu George-Mădălin Dănilă Gabriela Viorela Nițescu Ștefan Rohnean Daniela Luiza Baconi |
| author_facet | Oana Ramona Cătălina Gheorghiu Anne Marie Ciobanu Claudia Maria Guțu George-Mădălin Dănilă Gabriela Viorela Nițescu Ștefan Rohnean Daniela Luiza Baconi |
| author_sort | Oana Ramona Cătălina Gheorghiu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The growing popularity and consumption of herbal slimming supplements can be attributed to their perception as natural products that lack side effects. However, the composition and ingredient quality listed on their labels often undergo insufficient control. As a result, some manufacturers add undeclared synthetic pharmaceuticals to enhance weight loss effects. The synthetic adulterants, particularly the anorectic stimulants, have been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular adverse effects, posing significant health risks to consumers. This study aimed to analyze various weight loss supplements marketed as “natural” products to detect possible adulterants. A new high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was used for initial screening, while gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) served as a confirmation tool. Additionally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to analyze phenolphthalein. A total of 34 supplements acquired online or from specialty stores were analyzed. It was found that most of them contain caffeine from herbal ingredients included in the products’ formulation. Some products list the added caffeine, but the measured levels significantly exceeded the labeled values. The most commonly detected adulterants were sibutramine and phenolphthalein. These results highlighted the inadequacies and inconsistencies in labeling, as all herbal supplements were declared “natural” despite containing adulterants. Furthermore, they highlighted the suitability of the HPTLC method as an effective and cost-effective screening tool for detecting adulterants in dietary supplements. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1d0ca3c3d7b8498aa4b96073d3075401 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2392-7674 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-1d0ca3c3d7b8498aa4b96073d30754012025-08-20T03:27:37ZengMDPI AGJournal of Mind and Medical Sciences2392-76742025-04-011212310.3390/jmms12010023Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss SupplementsOana Ramona Cătălina Gheorghiu0Anne Marie Ciobanu1Claudia Maria Guțu2George-Mădălin Dănilă3Gabriela Viorela Nițescu4Ștefan Rohnean5Daniela Luiza Baconi6Department of Toxicology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, Sector 2, 20021 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Drug Analysis, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, Sector 2, 20021 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Toxicology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, Sector 2, 20021 Bucharest, RomaniaSCIENT—Instrumental Analysis Research Center, Petre Ispirescu 1, 077167 Tâncăbești, RomaniaDiscipline of Pediatrics, Faculty of Dentistry, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 17–23 Plevnei Road, 010221 Bucharest, RomaniaNational Anti-Doping Agency, 37–39 Basarabia Blvd, Sector 2, 022103 Bucharest, RomaniaDepartment of Toxicology, Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 37 Dionisie Lupu Street, Sector 2, 20021 Bucharest, RomaniaThe growing popularity and consumption of herbal slimming supplements can be attributed to their perception as natural products that lack side effects. However, the composition and ingredient quality listed on their labels often undergo insufficient control. As a result, some manufacturers add undeclared synthetic pharmaceuticals to enhance weight loss effects. The synthetic adulterants, particularly the anorectic stimulants, have been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular adverse effects, posing significant health risks to consumers. This study aimed to analyze various weight loss supplements marketed as “natural” products to detect possible adulterants. A new high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) method was used for initial screening, while gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) served as a confirmation tool. Additionally, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was employed to analyze phenolphthalein. A total of 34 supplements acquired online or from specialty stores were analyzed. It was found that most of them contain caffeine from herbal ingredients included in the products’ formulation. Some products list the added caffeine, but the measured levels significantly exceeded the labeled values. The most commonly detected adulterants were sibutramine and phenolphthalein. These results highlighted the inadequacies and inconsistencies in labeling, as all herbal supplements were declared “natural” despite containing adulterants. Furthermore, they highlighted the suitability of the HPTLC method as an effective and cost-effective screening tool for detecting adulterants in dietary supplements.https://www.mdpi.com/2392-7674/12/1/23adulterantsdietary supplementssibutraminecaffeinephenolphthaleinHPTLC |
| spellingShingle | Oana Ramona Cătălina Gheorghiu Anne Marie Ciobanu Claudia Maria Guțu George-Mădălin Dănilă Gabriela Viorela Nițescu Ștefan Rohnean Daniela Luiza Baconi Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences adulterants dietary supplements sibutramine caffeine phenolphthalein HPTLC |
| title | Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements |
| title_full | Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements |
| title_fullStr | Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements |
| title_full_unstemmed | Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements |
| title_short | Detection of Adulterants in Herbal Weight Loss Supplements |
| title_sort | detection of adulterants in herbal weight loss supplements |
| topic | adulterants dietary supplements sibutramine caffeine phenolphthalein HPTLC |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2392-7674/12/1/23 |
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