Sports Supplement Craze Linked to Meth-Like Compound

A recent USA TODAY investigation reveals startling evidence of a methamphetamine-like chemical found in the popular sports supplement known as Craze. The pre-workout powder, which is manufactured in New York by Driven Sports, can be found in stores across the nation as well many more countries throughout the world. Although the product has been marketed as containing nothing but natural ingredients, new tests conducted by scientists in the United States and South Korea suggest otherwise.

According to scientific investigations, Craze contains a chemical that very closely resembles methamphetamine – a chemical that appears to have originated from the illicit-designer-recreational-drug business. The chemical found in the product is one that raises serious health and regulatory concerns, including the potential risk of suffering from stroke or heart attack (as suggested by P. Cohen, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School). Craze is marketed for the “unrelenting energy and focus,” that can produce during a workout. However, the fact that is has never been studied in the human body is conveniently left out of the product’s marketing pitch.

The popularity of the sports supplement is wide reaching, and in 2012 Craze was named “New Supplement of the Year,” by Bodybuilding.com. Only recently has the product come under any scrutiny from the scientific and medical fields. Since tests were conducted and published in July of this year, Craze has been pulled from online retailers such as Walmart.com; however, other retailers have refused to acknowledge the potential issues with the product and continue to keep it on shelves – GNC is one of the most widely recognized of these retailers.

Driven Sports has declined to comment on the latest findings connected to its product. Repeated statements have been issued by Driven Sports, all of which have delivered a similar message: Craze does not contain any amphetamine-like compounds. Given the fact that M. Cahill, a top official at Driven Sports, is a convicted felon with a history of selling high-risk dietary supplements, it’s difficult to take creed in the company’s recent product.

When a consumer purchases Craze, he or she will not be able to find the amphetamine-like compound listed on the product’s label. In its place is mention that the product contains dendrobium orchid extract concentrated for various phenylethylamine compounds. Not surprisingly, however, U.S. researchers conducted a thorough search of existing scientific literature, none of which contained any evidence that the compound listed on the Craze label was ever recorded as a component of the extract.

Craze is not the first sports supplement to be linked with a methamphetamine-like substance. Detonate, an “all-natural weight loss pill” made by Gaspari Nutrition has also been connected to the dangerous chemical that mimics methamphetamine. Users of both products – Craze and Detonate – should use the supplements with caution, if not cease use entirely. Regulators have been recommended to warn consumers immediately.

All too often, dietary and weight loss supplements that seem “too good to be true,” are exactly that. While it may seem enticing to take a pill that can help you quickly lose weight or mix a powder that can help enhance your workout, consumers should use these products with caution. If you or someone you know was injured or made ill by the negative side effects of a dangerous weight loss or workout supplement, help can be found at The Senators Firm. Contact us today at (949) 557-5800 for more information.