Japan's unhealthy use of "herbal" weight loss pills

By Mitesh Desai Manchester

The Japanese health minister, Chikara Sakaguchi, has called for tighter regulations on the Chinese industries for pharmaceuticals and herbal remedies after a recent spate of deaths.

The Japanese media have reported that in the past two years, four deaths and 148 cases of thyroid and liver problems have been linked with the consumption of Chinese "herbal" weight loss pills.

The ministry is concerned that the grey area between the regulatory bodies of pharmaceuticals and foods has allowed certain products to go unapproved, allowing potentially lethal products to be come available on the market.

A public warning has also been issued about the possible risk of liver damage from the Chinese imports Jieanfeijiaonanf and Xiazhisa. Government inspection of other "herbal" weight loss products has revealed traces of fenfluramine, a thyrotropic hormone with appetite suppressant properties. The drug has been withdrawn in the United Kingdom, United States, and China after reports of valvular heart disease and pulmonary hypertension.

Research by the Japanese health ministry suggests that the growth of the convenience food industry has increased obesity in men whereas more and more women are succumbing to the "thin is beautiful" chant of the fashion industry. It recognises that body weight is not just a fixation for teenage girls but that people of all ages and of both sexes are becoming obsessed with it.

Recent government statistics indicate that 47% of Japanese women are more than 10% under their ideal weight. Five per cent of junior school children in Tokyo have anorexia nervosa.

Japanese people are increasingly succumbing to the "thin is beautiful" mantra.

The government acknowledges that supplements other than tablets and capsules are being taken as drugs and that tight regulations are required to ensure public safety.

But, despite the government's call for tighter regulations, some believe that such measures alone are not sufficient to curb the number of people putting themselves at risk by taking unregulated "herbal" formulas. Education at grassroots level is required to change the eating habits and attitudes that provoke people to take these pills in the first place.



studentBMJ 2002;10:303-352 September ISSN 0966-6494