By Sophie Scott, Alison Branley and Courtney Bembridge
Matthew Whitby. © ABC News
A Western Australian man has told how he lost his liver after taking popular weight-loss products widely available in protein powders and supplements.
Matthew Whitby was two weeks from death and needed an emergency liver transplant after taking a protein powder containing green tea extract and a supplement with garcinia cambogia — a tropical fruit used in weight-loss supplements.
Green tea extract is a concentrated form of the popular tea and is favored for its purported weight loss properties and anti-oxidant effects.
But in some susceptible individuals, doctors say it can cause liver failure even in moderate doses, and has been reportedly linked to dozens of cases of liver failure around the world.
There have also been cases of liver damage linked to garcinia cambogia.
Mr Whitby was so close to death after taking a protein powder and supplement containing the extract that he had to accept a donated liver with Hepatitis B.
The young father will have to take a raft of medications for the rest of his life and has spoken out to warn others.
"I didn't think something you could buy online or just over the counter did the damage that it did to me,'' he said.
"They didn't say anything about 'could cause liver failure'."
Taxpayers will have to foot the estimated $150,000 bill for Mr Whitby's liver transplant, yet Australian products containing green tea extract typically contain no warnings.
And, because green tea is technically a food, it often falls into a regulatory mine field.
Products which make a therapeutic claim, like the garcinia cambogia supplement are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
But in products such as protein powder, they are usually regulated through Food Standards Australia and New Zealand with enforcement by state health authorities.
The TGA said it was investigating the case as a part of a wider review, "the results of which will be made public if there is sufficient evidence of a safety issue to warrant further action".
Mr Whitby's doctors have said the green tea extract is the most likely culprit for his liver failure, but said as there are many ingredients in supplements and powders, it was hard to make a definitive call.
The case has been documented in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Experts said it was still safe for consumers to drink green tea in moderate amounts, with problems more likely in the tea's concentrated form.
Key points:
Mr Whitby needed an emergency liver transplant after taking supplements
Doctors believe green tea extract is the most likely culprit for his liver failure
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating the case
Rising liver damage linked to herbal remedies
Mr Whitby's doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth said they were not surprised by what happened to the healthy 27-year-old.
Liver specialist Professor Gary Jeffrey works in the liver transplant center of Western Australia and said doctors were seeing what they believe is more liver damage from herbal remedies and herbal extracts.
"We would during the year have one or two people with liver failure due to herbal remedies," he said.
"This would be the most severe form we've seen. Most of the other cases we've seen have resolved spontaneously."
While the question of warnings was up to regulators, Professor Jeffreys said he personally would like to see a product insert which listed the benefits and risks of the supplement.
"People who have normal liver function can develop liver problems with herbal extract toxicity," he said.
"There have been a number of countries around the world that have removed slimming agents from the market because of the increased rate of liver damage."
Matthew Whitby. © ABC News
A Western Australian man has told how he lost his liver after taking popular weight-loss products widely available in protein powders and supplements.
Matthew Whitby was two weeks from death and needed an emergency liver transplant after taking a protein powder containing green tea extract and a supplement with garcinia cambogia — a tropical fruit used in weight-loss supplements.
Green tea extract is a concentrated form of the popular tea and is favored for its purported weight loss properties and anti-oxidant effects.
But in some susceptible individuals, doctors say it can cause liver failure even in moderate doses, and has been reportedly linked to dozens of cases of liver failure around the world.
There have also been cases of liver damage linked to garcinia cambogia.
Mr Whitby was so close to death after taking a protein powder and supplement containing the extract that he had to accept a donated liver with Hepatitis B.
The young father will have to take a raft of medications for the rest of his life and has spoken out to warn others.
"I didn't think something you could buy online or just over the counter did the damage that it did to me,'' he said.
"They didn't say anything about 'could cause liver failure'."
Taxpayers will have to foot the estimated $150,000 bill for Mr Whitby's liver transplant, yet Australian products containing green tea extract typically contain no warnings.
And, because green tea is technically a food, it often falls into a regulatory mine field.
Products which make a therapeutic claim, like the garcinia cambogia supplement are regulated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
But in products such as protein powder, they are usually regulated through Food Standards Australia and New Zealand with enforcement by state health authorities.
The TGA said it was investigating the case as a part of a wider review, "the results of which will be made public if there is sufficient evidence of a safety issue to warrant further action".
Mr Whitby's doctors have said the green tea extract is the most likely culprit for his liver failure, but said as there are many ingredients in supplements and powders, it was hard to make a definitive call.
The case has been documented in the Medical Journal of Australia.
Experts said it was still safe for consumers to drink green tea in moderate amounts, with problems more likely in the tea's concentrated form.
Key points:
Mr Whitby needed an emergency liver transplant after taking supplements
Doctors believe green tea extract is the most likely culprit for his liver failure
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating the case
Rising liver damage linked to herbal remedies
Mr Whitby's doctors at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital in Perth said they were not surprised by what happened to the healthy 27-year-old.
Liver specialist Professor Gary Jeffrey works in the liver transplant center of Western Australia and said doctors were seeing what they believe is more liver damage from herbal remedies and herbal extracts.
"We would during the year have one or two people with liver failure due to herbal remedies," he said.
"This would be the most severe form we've seen. Most of the other cases we've seen have resolved spontaneously."
While the question of warnings was up to regulators, Professor Jeffreys said he personally would like to see a product insert which listed the benefits and risks of the supplement.
"People who have normal liver function can develop liver problems with herbal extract toxicity," he said.
"There have been a number of countries around the world that have removed slimming agents from the market because of the increased rate of liver damage."
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