The many risks of slimming tea-

September 22, 2013 by MOTUNRAYO JOEL

   

Chinese slimming tea. Inset: Epeagba
| credits: google.com

The death of Chinedu Epeagba, an Asaba-based Nollywood location manager believed to have been caused by Chinese slimming tea has raised concerns over the safety of the product, MOTUNRAYO JOEL writes

Chinedu Epeagba, an Asaba-based Nollywood location manager, may not be popular in the movie industry, but his death last week, from complications caused by Chinese slimming tea has brought to the fore the safety of such teas that abound in the Nigerian market.

According to Nollywood comic actor, Ugezu Ugezu, who was Epeagba’s close friend, a doctor who treated Chinedu said his death was as a result of complications triggered by slimming tea.

In a report, Ugezu said, “Our preliminary investigation, backed with scientific presentations from the last doctor that treated him in Onitsha, shows that Chinedu (Epeagba) died from complications triggered by the ‘made in China slimming tea,’ which he started drinking in July.

“This tea, medicine or whatever, gradually destroyed all his internal organs and by the time he became too weak and was rushed to the hospital, his body couldn’t respond to treatment; his organs were ruined already. The sad news is that Chinedu, that promising young man, is dead.”

Chinese tea has long been considered great for dieters. In fact, many companies have manufactured and distributed these products labelled “Chinese diet tea” for those who wish to lose weight.

Findings by SUNDAY PUNCH show that the main reason why people buy this tea is because they believe the caffeine in the tea is potent enough to increase body function to help burn more calories. According to studies, it is believed that the polyphenols in the tea seem to aid in the digestion of fat, truly making it a slimming tea.

Chinese slimming tea, slimming tea, weight loss tea, although they come with somewhat different names, all promote a common message – drink this tea and you will lose weight.’

However, many experts noted that what  one is actually drinking from these products is a plant based laxative that can cause certain disorders like diarrheoa, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, fainting, chronic constipation and perhaps even death when consumed in excessive amounts.

A study once conducted in the United States, stated that the laxative teas and dietary supplements of most concerned are those containing one or more of the substances, such as aloe, senna, rhubarb root, buckthorn, castor oil, and cascara. These products are derived from plants and have been used since time immemorial for their ability to relieve constipation and promote bowel movements. They are deemed effective for such purposes with occasional use.

However, laxative-induced diarrheoa does not significantly reduce absorption of calories for the reason that laxatives don’t work in the small intestine, where the calories are absorbed. According to the reports, it rather works on the colon, which is the lower end of the bowel.

Based on studies, when these laxatives are used continually, laxative dependency will tend to develop with bouts of chronic diarrheoa, abdominal pain, as well as constipation. In the most severe cases, these laxatives can cause fainting, dehydration and serious electrolyte disorders. The after-effects of excessive use of slimming tea are most likely to develop in people who are nutritionally compromised due to rigorous weight-loss dieting.

Also, when slimming tea is misused by dipping the tea longer than the product recommends, it can lead to short as well as long term adverse condition. This is also true when the Chinese slimming teas are taken more than the recommended amount.

A General Practitioner at the General Hospital, Ifako-Ijaiye, who chose to remain anonymous, said a large percentage of Chinese tea were not certified by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control.

He said, “Unlike before when NAFDAC so was tough, one couldn’t just display one’s products on shelves without passing through NAFDAC checkpoints. Your product must have the NAFDAC requirement before you are given the go-ahead. But lately, you find all sorts of products on the shelf.  And no one is taking responsibility for pathetic cases such as Epeagba’s.

“There is every possibility that the tea Epeagba was taking had ingredients that his body couldn’t digest or ingredient that cant’ be consumed by certain people. Also, if the late Epeagba already had renal impairment before he started taking the tea, then his kidney would be badly damaged.

“This means his kidney might not have been able to digest the herbs in the slimming tea. For someone suffering from renal impairment, herbs and other substances accumulates in the kidney and eventually damages the liver. Also, when a person is hypertensive, he or she needs to be careful of what they drink, especially herbal teas. Since we are not so sure if these Chinese slimming teas are NAFDAC certified, people will do themselves good by avoiding them.”

Another General Practitioner, Dr. Gbenga Alaba, advised consumers of Chinese slimming teas to protect their lives and lose weight the proper way.

He said, “I’m not going to condemn Chinese slimming teas, but I know that there are other better ways to lose weight. These teas may look like a fast way, but it can trigger serious side effects, leading to death in some cases. We don’t know the contents of the tea and are not sure of the expiry date. Many of these slimming teas are gimmick.

“There is no scientifically controlled evidence to prove they work. Too many laxatives – chemicals that stimulate bowel movement – can lead to bowel disease. The bacteria in the gut changes and fails to protect the gut walls.  If one suffers from obesity, the person should watch his or her diet and do exercise. These are safer methods to lose weight than using slimming teas.”

A nutritionist at the Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Okunola Oladimeji, said a large percentage of Nigerians who use Chinese slimming tea use it wrongly.

He said, “These teas are special herbal teas that shouldn’t be drunk alone and that is where Nigerians miss it. They are probably to be taken in conjunction with something else. The reason why many Nigerians develop health complications is because they are not using the tea the right way. Secondly, Nigerians want the fast method, especially when it comes to weight loss.

“These Chinese slimming teas are like hard drugs, they are designed to work very fast. Because they work fast, there will be a side effect. People take Chinese slimming tea and yet their diet is terrible. You can’t lose weight that way, you’re only damaging your system. Whenever I counsel people who are obese, I advise them to shun slimming teas and go through the right method.

“Once one is able to cut out fried food, red meat, full cream milk, white bread, starchy rice, junk food, one will definitely lose weight. Nothing comes easy, rather than jeopardising your health, follow the long but safer method of losing weight.”

Efforts to get across to the NAFDAC Public Relations Officer, Oshodi office, Mrs. Christy Obiazikwor, were futile as she neither responded to text messages sent to her phone nor picked her calls