A Chinese herb that has damaged the kidneys dozens of people to the Belgian diet in the 190s was found to pack a second shot vicious fist - cancer or precancerous lesions, according to a report in the June 8 issue of on New England Journal of Medicine . These findings support one of the strongest links yet between the use of a product herbal and cancer, and critics argue, should serve as a dire warning that dietary supplements need more regulation.
In 1992, the symptoms of kidney failure started showing up among the Belgians who had taken a mixture of Chinese herbs and Western medicine prescribed for weight loss. A closer examination, the researchers found a mix-up Herbal: Instead of containing the plant Stephania tetrandra as labeled, the herbal pills contain derivatives of Aristolochia fangchi , a plant known to be loaded with toxins and kidney powerful carcinogens. Of the approximately 10,000 people who took the pills, at least 70 had complete renal failure, and 50 others have sustained damage to kidneys serious enough to require treatment.
The first kidney cancers were found in these patients in 1994. To discourage the appearance of the disease in more patients, doctors of the Erasmus Hospital in Brussels advised those whose kidneys and ureters had ceased to function to consider surgical removal of organs. Thirty-nine people have opted for the operation in recent years. When a team of researchers coordinated by a kidney specialist Joélle Nortier inspected the excised tissues, they were surprised to discover that the cancer had already developed in 18 patients, and precancerous lesions (dysplasia) were present in 19 others. prescription records confirmed that patients who had taken over diet pills were more likely to have cancer. As further evidence that Aristolochia was to blame, the team found that the DNA in the kidneys of these patients performed typical defects of damage caused by toxins from the plant.
Belgium stopped importing Aristolochia and mixtures of plants that may contain in 1992. But there is little to prevent a similar disaster in the United States and other countries, said David Kessler, dean of the Faculty of medicine at Yale University and former commissioner of the Food and Drug administration (FDA). Under the Dietary Supplement Act 1994, manufacturers must not show the safety or efficacy of a herbal remedy prior to marketing, and the hands of the FDA linked "until the horse is out of the barn, "he said.
Even so, counters Varro Tyler, Dean retired from Purdue University pharmacy school in Indiana, the FDA could be even more vigilant, specifically testing the products are on the market and prohibit them if they are harmful. "They must take the initiative, they have not done," said Tyler. But he agrees that until the laws are expanded, consumers can not be sure that they get the health store is safe.
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