"Risk of Liver Toxicity from Taking Multiple Diet Supplements"...Consumer Agency Issues Warning

Korea Consumer Agency Tests Quality and Safety of 12 Products
Risk of Overlapping Intake of Garcinia Cambogia Extract and Green Tea Extract Products Such as Catechins

The Korea Consumer Agency has warned consumers that taking multiple types of diet health supplements, which claim to help reduce body fat, may cause side effects.

Citizens are waiting to receive medicine at a pharmacy in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yongjun

According to the Consumer Agency on May 21, taking Garcinia cambogia extract, which is included in diet health supplements, together with green tea extract products such as catechins, can cause side effects such as liver toxicity, so caution is needed. In addition, taking these supplements together with about 40 other health supplements that claim to reduce body fat may also result in adverse cases. Previously, in January, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety also announced the results of a re-evaluation of Garcinia cambogia extract, which included this information.

An official from the Consumer Agency stated, "According to a survey, 66.6% of respondents reported taking more than two types of health supplements for body fat reduction. While taking products containing each extract individually is not a problem, taking them together in hopes of better efficacy may cause side effects, so consumers should refrain from doing so."

The Consumer Agency investigated 12 products on the market containing either Garcinia cambogia extract or green tea extract and found that 10 of them did not reflect relevant precautions. There were also significant price differences among products using the same functional ingredients. For Garcinia cambogia extract products, the price per daily intake (based on product labeling) ranged from 170 to 921 won, a difference of up to five times. For green tea extract products, the price ranged from 156 to 5,267 won, a difference of up to 34 times.

The Consumer Agency stated that it will continue to provide information on the quality and safety of various health supplements through 'Consumer24' to support rational consumer choices.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.