By: LISA R. WILSON

The FDA announced on Monday that nearly 30 weight-loss products containing unlisted and possibly dangerous ingredients attributed to heart attacks and strokes are available to consumers online. The appetite-suppressing products, which are available in pill-form, are advertised as “natural” fat busters but may contain a known carcinogen and other adverse chemicals.

“These tainted weight loss products pose a great risk to public health because they contain undeclared ingredients and in some cases prescription drugs in amounts that greatly exceed their maximum recommended dosages,” said Dr. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s drug evaluation center.

Many of the drugs in question contain sibutramine, a powerful appetite suppressant that is chemically related to amphetamines. Sibutramine use has been attributed to heart attacks, strokes, heart palpitations and other problems. The FDA also found phenolphthalein in some of the diet products; a chemical which is now being withdrawn from the market because of cancer risks.

The problem the FDA notes is that none of these diet drugs list the toxic ingredients on the label. “Consumers have no way of knowing that these products contain powerful drugs that can cause serious health consequences,” Woodcock said. The FDA is considering filing criminal charges against some of the drug manufacturers for not complying with the FDA’s requests for recalls.

The weight-loss products in question are:

Fatloss Slimming, 2 Day Diet, 3x Slimming Power, 5x Imelda Perfect Slimming, 3 Day Diet Japan Lingzhi, 24 Hours Diet, 7 Diet Day/Night Formula, 7 Day Herbal Slim, 8 Factor Diet, 999 Fitness Essence, Extrim Plus and GMP, Imelda Perfect Slim, Lida DaiDaihua, Miaozi Slim Capsules, Perfect Slim, Perfect Slim 5x, Phyto Shape, ProSlim Plus, Royal Slimming Formula, Slim 3 in 1, Slim Express 360, Slimtech, Somotrin, Superslim, TripleSlim, Zhen de Shou, and Venom Hyperdrive 3.0.

For more information, visit http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2008/NEW01933.html.