The Food and Drug Administration is cautioning those looking to drop a few pounds that not every weight-loss product is as safe as it purports to be.
In a press release, the FDA wrote that a joint investigation conducted with the Maryland Department of Health showed that some products labeled Nuez de la India actually contained ingredients that could prove poisonous if ingested.
The products, reportedly sporting labels such as “botanical food,” “India Nuts for Weight Loss,” “slimming seeds,” “India seeds for weight loss,” or “diet seeds” actually contain yellow oleander, a highly toxic plant that grows in Mexico and Central America.
“Ingestion of yellow oleander can cause neurologic, gastrointestinal and cardiovascular adverse health effects that may be severe, or even fatal,” the release states. “Symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, abdominal pain, cardiac changes, dysrhythmia, and more.”
So far at least one Maryland resident has been hospitalized after ingesting Nut Diet Max brand Nuez de la India seeds.
Generally, these products are sold online by a third party utilizing sites like Amazon, eBay and Walmart, which all allow third party sellers.
For more information about the specific products found to include yellow oleander seeds, visit the official FDA website.