It has been over a decade since I resigned my post as Chief of Product Development for TwinLab.  For twenty-five years I developed and brought to market the first of many supplements including ephedra/caffeine combinations, whey protein, whey protein hydrolysates, arginine, glutamine, NAC, L-carnitine and the list goes on and on.

In the late 70’s I named, formulated, and introduced Ripped Fuel to the market.

This week, Alex Rodriquez admitted to using Ripped Fuel when he played for the Seattle Mariners from 1994 – 2000.

Because of all the misinformation in the media on ephedra, I thought it would be appropriate to clear the air. 

Steve Blechman

In this fast-paced world, where printed news media is losing audience because it is too slow in reporting when compared to television outlets, and absolutely stagnant in comparison to instantaneous release on the Web, headline-grabbing controversies appear and disappear in days, even hours. The urgency of more current problems tends to displace yesterday’s crises in the minds of the public (and programming of the media). Thus, it is of little surprise that people have forgotten the prominence of ephedrine/caffeine-based weight-loss products and the hotly debated allegations of harm that preceded the ban on ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and ephedra (ma huang) from the market.

      The following is a somewhat brief and superficial review of the events that defined that time, acknowledging that a few sentences do not adequately convey the entirety of related issues. Ephedrine-based, over-the-counter (OTC) products including herbal ephedra-based products were being purchased in record amounts, as weight-conscious consumers found the products to be effective in curbing appetite, boosting energy and burning calories.1 Numerous peer-reviewed studies and reviews confirmed the efficacy of the ephedrine/caffeine combination in causing weight loss, increasing resting energy expenditure (metabolism) and reducing appetite.2-8 The beta-adrenergic-stimulating nature of the products also provided a performance boost to athletes, increasing its appeal and expanding its market to normal-weight, active individuals.9 Unfortunately, the stimulating effect also appealed to young adults and adolescents for fighting fatigue and as a party drug.10 Sales of ephedrine-containing products established the ingredient as the keystone of the top-selling products in the highly lucrative weight-loss category. Estimates of use are inherently inaccurate, but it is not unreasonable to accept that 33 percent of young adults had some exposure to such products, given that overweight and obesity was affecting more than 50 percent of the nation at that time.11