adverse-effects-vinpocetine

FDA statement on Vinpocetine

Have you heard of vinpocetine? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has officially issued a statement warning consumers, especially women of childbearing age, of this harmful ingredient. Found in dietary supplements, the NIH has reported that consumption of vinpocetine can possibly lead to miscarriages and interfere with proper fetal development. 

Many women of childbearing age are likely to use products containing vinpocetine. The ingredient hides under many other aliases, such as “Vinca minor extract”, “lesser periwnkle extract”, or “common periwinkle extract”. Products that contain this ingredient tend to be marketed for weight loss, mental clarity, and enhanced energy. When the effects of consumption were studied in pregnant animals, scientists were able to conclude that vicepocetine decreh weight and an increased chance of miscarriage. Since the blood levels of this ingredient in the animals were similar to those of a human after a single serving of vinpocetine, these results are reflective of human effects. 

Dietary supplements containing vincepotine, in the U.S., are not regulated by the FDA nor do their labels properly warn of what is inside. Since the dietary supplement industry is expanding in recent years, today’s FDA warning comes as a step in the right direction. 

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