CDC Alert on Adverse Effects Associated
with Consuming
"Total Body Formula" and "Total
Body Mega Formula"
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is working collaboratively with
state health departments, the American Association of Poison Control Centers,
and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on reports of adverse health
effects following consumption of the dietary supplement "Total Body
Formula," and "Total Body Mega Formula" manufactured in the USA
exclusively for Total Body Essential Nutrition, Inc. This dietary supplement
has been found by FDA to contain hazardous levels of selenium (up to 200 times
the label value) and chromium (up to 17 times the label value).
An FDA press release on April 9, 2008 detailed information regarding the level
of selenium in the product
(http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01818.html). FDA is advising
consumers to stop using "Total Body
Formula" in flavors Tropical
Orange and Peach Nectar and "Total
Body Mega Formula" in the Orange/Tangerine
flavor and discard them by placing them in a trash receptacle outside of the
home. "Total Body Formula" products are sold in eight-ounce and
32-ounce plastic bottles. "Total Body Mega Formula" is sold in
32-ounce plastic bottles. Products with
the following lot numbers should be discarded: Total Body Tropical
Total Body Essential Nutrition, Inc reportedly distributed this product to 16
states (Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan,
Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia), and also sells its products over the Internet.
Clinical description of selenium
toxicity
Excessive intake of selenium is known to cause the following symptoms:
significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain, fatigue, loss of
finger nails and blistering skin.
Clinical description of chromium toxicity
Excessive intake of chromium may result in the following symptoms: renal
failure, elevated hepatic enzymes, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis,
changes in thought processes, gastrointestinal disorders, chest pain, erythema/flushing/rash, dizziness, headache, agitation, and
rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle fibers
with leakage of muscle contents into the circulation)
Recommendations:
Stop using "Total Body Formula" in
flavors Tropical Orange and Peach Nectar
and "Total Body Mega Formula"
in the Orange/Tangerine flavor. Discard them by placing them in a trash
receptacle outside of the home.
For further information
please see the FDA press release at www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01818.html
.