Health

Some hoard ephedra despite warnings, ban

WATERTOWN, Mass. - Products with names like Speed Stack, Ripped Force, TrimSpa and Kranker started flying off the shelves at the Lo Fat Know Fat Gourmet Cafe after the Food and Drug Administration announced plans to ban the dietary supplement ephedra in two months.

"People have been buying it like crazy," co-owner Christopher Pappas said. "They know it's going to be taken off the shelf so they're stocking up."

After months of rising concerns, the FDA announced Tuesday that it would ban ephedra this year and strongly urged people not to take the herbal supplement in the meantime.

Ephedra, used for weight loss and bodybuilding, has been linked to 155 deaths, including that of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler last February, and dozens of heart attacks and strokes.

Across the country, some stores reported sharp increases in sales Wednesday, while others said some customers knew the ban was coming and stocked up some time ago. Some said the demand for ephedra decreased long ago in favor of products advertised as ephedra-free.

GNC, which has 5,000 health food stores across the country, banned ephedra-containing products in June. The NFL banned its players from using ephedra as a dietary supplement in 2001.

In Overland Park, Kan., Russell Wood of Fit 4 Less said that after the ban was announced, one woman wanted to buy two cases of 24 bottles each. Normally, Wood said, he sells 30 to 50 bottles per month.

At the Lo Fat Know Fat Gourmet Cafe, manager Ryan McElhiney, who takes ephedra himself, said one customer spent $369 on ephedra tablets Tuesday soon after the announcement.

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