Liver injury and dietary supplements: Does hydroxycitric acid trigger hepatotoxicity?
10.1016/j.joim.2022.05.003
- Author:
Andrea ZOVI
1
;
Roberto LANGELLA
2
;
Andrea NISIC
3
;
Antonio VITIELLO
4
;
Umberto M MUSAZZI
1
Author Information
1. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Via G. Colombo, Milan 71-20133, Italy.
2. Italian Society of Hospital Pharmacy (SIFO), SIFO Secretariat of the Lombardy Region, Via Carlo Farini, 81, Milan 20159, Italy. Electronic address: sifo.lombardia@sifoweb.it.
3. Regional Pharmacovigilance Center, Lombardy Region, Piazza Città di Lombardia, 1, Milan 20124, Italy.
4. Pharmaceutical Department, USL Umbria 1, Via Guerriero Guerra, 21, Perugia 06127, Italy.
- Publication Type:Review
- Keywords:
Adverse event;
Garcinia cambogia;
Hepatotoxicity;
Hydroxycitric acid;
Weight loss
- MeSH:
Anti-Obesity Agents/pharmacology*;
Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury/etiology*;
Citrates;
Dietary Supplements/adverse effects*;
Humans;
Plant Extracts/pharmacology*
- From:
Journal of Integrative Medicine
2022;20(5):473-475
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Rising rates of obesity has increased the global use of herbal supplements intended to control weight. However, taking these preparations without appropriate medical supervision could increase the risk of manifestation of side effects, especially at the hepatic level. In literature, different cases of acute liver injury consequent to the use of food supplements containing Garcinia cambogia and hydroxycitric acid are reported. This letter aims to review the most recent literature that analysed the herb-induced liver disease due to the use of hydroxycitric acid, from the first alert coming from the European Food and Drug Administration in 2009, to the last recent European food alerts from 2020 to 2021. It is noteworthy that in some cases it demonstrated the relationship between hydroxycitric acid and hepatotoxicity. Therefore, there is a need to draw more attention to the relationship between a safe use and a more awareness in the intake of these supplements, to preserve the safety of the consumers who increasingly purchase food supplements, products that have only nutritive properties and are never curative.
