Matthew Whitby resident of Western Australia was just 15 days from death and required an urgent liver transplant after consuming protein powder with green tea extract and garcinia cambogia based supplement.
Both green tea extract and garcinia cambogia are natural products that support weight loss. However, even doses that are not very high can lead to liver failure in some people and garcinia cambogia can damage the liver.
Near Death Experience
All Mr. Whitby wanted is to get back in shape, so he started exercising and taking this product. He claims that the product he bought online didn’t contain any warning about side effects.
Green tea extract is not a food so it doesn’t have to pass many tests before it reaches the market. On the other hand garcinia cambogia supplement is regulated by the TGA (therapeutic goods administration). TGA is currently investigating the case and they have promised thorough report.
Doctors who treated Mr. Whitby believe that the green tea extract is directly responsible for the liver failure, even though they don’t exclude some other factors because this product contains a few other ingredients.
Experts have pointed out that drinking green tea in “normal” amounts is perfectly safe and most of the problems are linked to drinking tea in concentrated form.
Herbal Remedies and Liver Damage
According to many experts this case is not that odd. A liver expert from the liver transplant center located in Western Australia, professor Gary Jeffrey, says that they treat two patients with liver failure that occurred due to consumption of herbal remedies each year.
Of course, the case of Mr Whitby was one of the worst cases among them and he warned that people with perfectly fine liver can experience these problems.
What Happened?
Mr. Whitby has taken the HydroxyBurn Elite by BSc protein powder. This product was approved by the TGA.
The main reason why such problems occur is the presence of catechins in green tea extract. What is interesting is that catechins are the reason why this product is beneficial too.
However, it turns out that some people are overly sensitive to these compounds. So, in this case we may blame the odds, but what is important to understand is that you need to buy products like this from established sources and take the supplement as advised. We should never take large amounts of green tea extract.
The company issued a statement in which they say that they have still not received any notification from the TGA and that they’ve been producing such protein powders for more than 14 years and they have never received a complaint about such side effects.
They have highlighted the fact that Mr. Whitby was taking garcinia cambogia supplement too and that this product is not from their offer. Mr. Whitby bought the garcinia cambogia supplement from a website based in Australia. This is a very popular supplement recommended by Dr. Oz.
However, there were reports of liver damage in some people after consumption of this product.
So, the point is that we should not take every herbal remedy and supplement found on the market for granted. We should read the label about possible side effects and consult our doctors before we take these supplements and right after we notice the first signs of side effects.
Via News
