Sharni
06-09-2003, 05:59 AM
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who turn to herbal supplements with the desire of achieving a bust size that rivals Pamela Anderson's shouldn't get their hopes up, according to the author of a new report.
"There is no scientific evidence that shows these products work," said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman during a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
"Plus they are really quite expensive," said Fugh-Berman, who says she doesn't want to see young women throw their hard earned money away. A month's supply can cost more than $100, she noted.
But aside from wasting money, Fugh-Berman said she believes that there may be long-term health issues at stake since some of the herbal ingredients may mimic the hormone estrogen.
Fugh-Berman said she is concerned that one possible long-term effect of using estrogen-mimicking supplements is an increased risk of breast cancer. "But that's only theoretical at this point," she stressed.
"I would rather see women spend their energy on improving their self-esteem," said Fugh-Berman, who is at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Fugh-Berman said she became interested in the products after seeing advertisements and listening to several young women express an interest in purchasing such products.
In her review, Fugh-Berman evaluated existing scientific literature about the ingredients often found in "bust-enhancing" dietary supplements, including hops, black cohosh, dong quai, fennel, kava, saw palmetto, chaste-tree berry and many others.
"No clinical trial of a bust-enhancing herbal product has been published," Fugh-Berman writes in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. "It is unlikely that any of these products, if they contain what their labels say that they contain, would cause breast enlargement."
What's more, Fugh-Berman stressed that there are no long-term safety data on any of these herbs, either alone or in combination. The herb kava, for example, has been linked to liver toxicity, she told Reuters Health.
Doctors should discourage women from using pharmacologically active substances that have unknown safety risks for the purpose of making their breasts bigger, the author concludes in the report.
"There is no scientific evidence that shows these products work," said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman during a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
"Plus they are really quite expensive," said Fugh-Berman, who says she doesn't want to see young women throw their hard earned money away. A month's supply can cost more than $100, she noted.
But aside from wasting money, Fugh-Berman said she believes that there may be long-term health issues at stake since some of the herbal ingredients may mimic the hormone estrogen.
Fugh-Berman said she is concerned that one possible long-term effect of using estrogen-mimicking supplements is an increased risk of breast cancer. "But that's only theoretical at this point," she stressed.
"I would rather see women spend their energy on improving their self-esteem," said Fugh-Berman, who is at the George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C. Fugh-Berman said she became interested in the products after seeing advertisements and listening to several young women express an interest in purchasing such products.
In her review, Fugh-Berman evaluated existing scientific literature about the ingredients often found in "bust-enhancing" dietary supplements, including hops, black cohosh, dong quai, fennel, kava, saw palmetto, chaste-tree berry and many others.
"No clinical trial of a bust-enhancing herbal product has been published," Fugh-Berman writes in the June issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. "It is unlikely that any of these products, if they contain what their labels say that they contain, would cause breast enlargement."
What's more, Fugh-Berman stressed that there are no long-term safety data on any of these herbs, either alone or in combination. The herb kava, for example, has been linked to liver toxicity, she told Reuters Health.
Doctors should discourage women from using pharmacologically active substances that have unknown safety risks for the purpose of making their breasts bigger, the author concludes in the report.