PITTSBURGH (AP) — Nutritional supplement retailer General Nutrition Centers on Friday announced that the company will stop selling products containing the weight-loss supplement ephedra at the end of June.
GNC president Michael Meyers said the Pittsburgh-based company believes the products are safe when used as directed, but the company has found that more customers are using ephedra-free products.
The Food and Drug Administration has said there is evidence that products containing the herb can cause serious health problems, such as heart attacks and strokes.
GNC has more than 5,300 retail stores in the United States and 26 foreign markets, including Canada and Mexico. The company is owned by Royal Numico, of the Netherlands, a baby-food maker and supplier of nutritional supplements.