Hydroxycut

Warning
The FDA has asked that Hydroxycut be removed from distribution by the manufacturer

Hydroxycut has been associated with liver failure and one fatiality from liver failure. It has been speculated that hydroxycitric acid, derived from a tropical fruit is the constiutent of the product that may be associated with liver failure.

Hydroxycut was a nutritional supplement marketed by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., designed to help consumers lose weight. It is sold at retailers such as GNC and Wal-Mart as well as through direct television marketing.

Currently sold in the United States without ephedra, it is advertised as increasing metabolism and reducing hunger cravings. Like many nutraceuticals, its efficacy is questionable.

Hydroxycut promotes itself as being created and endorsed by doctors. Television advertisements for Hydroxycut feature Jon Marshall D.O., a 2005 graduate of Midwestern University's medical school, still in residency. Hydroxycut is also endorsed by Marvin Heuer, MD, FAAFP, Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Florida.

Controversy
On March 27, 2003 Missouri's Attorney General Jay Nixon filed a lawsuit in St. Louis against Hydroxycut's manufacturer MuscleTech Research and Development, Inc stating that claims Hydroxycut was "clinically proven" to be a "fat-burner" were false, specifically:

The product is not “clinically proven” to be a “fat-burner,” as MuscleTech claims. MuscleTech’s own study showed that Hydroxycut has no efficacy as compared to placebo with the possible exception of an appetite-suppressing effect. Moreover, the serious adverse health risks of Hydroxycut with ephedra – including death – were not adequately described or disclosed in marketing and labeling of the product.

Nixon also alleged that the "before" and "after" photographs were misleading, and that one woman's "before" photo was deceptive because she was recently pregnant.

MuscleTech paid $100,000 to settle the case while denying any wrongdoing.