free weight-loss aids are flooding the market. Are they any safer?
A. No. Some of the most hyped diet pills have basically replaced ephedra with another traditional Chinese remedy, citrus aurantium. It is called bitter orange and is derived from Seville oranges. This extract contains synephrine, a member of the amphetamine family. Some call it “ephedra’s little brother.” Bitter orange is commonly combined in a cocktail of ingredients that may intensify its effects. Hundreds of different ingredients are combined in dietary supplements, and little research on how they all interact has been done. If you are sensitive to caffeine or have signs of high blood pressure, you should avoid bitter orange until more studies have been done.
