• 🛑Hello, this board in now turned off and no new posting.
    Please REGISTER at Anabolic Steroid Forums, and become a member of our NEW community!
    Thanks! 💪

Species Nutrition the subject of personal injury claim Species Nutrition the subject

Arnold

Numero Uno
Staff member
Administrator
Joined
Nov 29, 2000
Messages
82,081
Reaction score
3,072
Points
113
Location
Las Vegas
IML Gear Cream!
Species Nutrition the subject of personal injury claim
by Anthony Roberts

Dave Palumbo claims on his Species Nutrition website that ???Over the years, I???ve been asked countless times, ???When are you going to start your own supplement company,??? and my answer has always been the same: ???When I have an original idea!??? Well, for one, I???m still waiting to hear what the original idea is, because every ingredient in every Species Nutrition product has existed on the market previously. Unfortunately, the only unique ??? though not original ??? ingredient in the entire product line is Usnic Acid.

Usnic Acid was in several products a few years ago, until every company in the field dropped it for being incredibly unsafe.

The following letter was sent to Bodybuilding.com by Pirrotti Law Firm, LLC, claiming personal injury to Maria Bezrodnaya as a result of using the Species Nutrition products, Lipolyze and/or Somalyze (photo of Maria Bezrodnaya added):


September 4th 2009
Re: Maria Bezrodnaya
Product: Species ??? Lipolyze & Somalize
Order number: 6287745
Order Date: 4/5/09

Dear Madam/Sir
Please be advised that we have been retained by Maria Bezrodnaya to prosecute a claim for personal injury sustained by her as a result of her ingesting the Species Evolutionary Nutrition Dietary Supplement ???Lipolyze??? and/or ???Somalyze??? beginning on April 8th 2009, which she purchased from bodybuilding.com on April 5th 2009.

Please have your insurance company and/or representative contact this firm within five days from the date of this letter in order to obviate the necessity of litigation at this time.
Thank you for your courtesy.

Very truly yours,
Anthony Pirrotti, jr
This letter has been received by Bodybuilding.com as well as Dave Palumbo, the owner of Species Nutrition. Usnic Acid, an ingredient in both Lipolyze and Somalize has been linked in numerous published medical articles to liver failure, although Palumbo continues to deny the link, most

logo.jpg


recently in his column in Muscle Insider, where he claimed his product(s) are safe. Personally, I???m offended at the idea of Dave claiming his products are safe, both in print and online, while simultaneously knowing that one of his customers is claiming to have been injured by them.

The woman who has claimed injuries is a competitor in the International Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (INBF, the amateur affiliate of the WNBF), and I???m awaiting a friend confirmation from her on Facebook, so I can investigate this incident further.

Species Nutrition the subject of personal injury claim | Anthony Roberts
 
Ouch. I always knew UA would bite him in the rear one day.
 
Species Nutrition the subject of personal injury claim
by Anthony Roberts
(snip)
Usnic Acid.

Usnic Acid was in several products a few years ago, until every company in the field dropped it for being incredibly unsafe.

(snip)
Lipolyze and/or Somalyze
(snip)

Palumbo is not making any secret of his use of Usnic Acid in his products.

USNIC ACID
Inside all the cells of the body, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the fuel source that powers all daily activities. The majority of this ATP is produced when fats are oxidized (burnt up) inside the mitochondria (power station) of the muscle cell.

Usnic acid is what’s known in the field of biochemistry as an uncoupling agent. Derived from a simple plant lichen, Usnic acid “uncouples” or disconnects the ATP-producing machinery in the cell and “releases” all the potential energy that was supposed to be used to produce ATP.

Due to the energy and ATP loss (which is dissipated as heat), the muscle cells must dig into stored body fat and oxidize additional fats to ensure that optimal energy levels are maintained within the cells.

The following analogy should help explain how Usnic acid exerts its energy-wasting effect in the human body. Imagine someone putting a hole in the gas tank of your automobile. The car would still perform at maximal capacity however, it would require a significant amount of additional fuel to travel the same distance it had before the punctured tank.

Likewise, Usnic acid creates temporary “holes” in the mitochondrial membranes which then result in the loss of valuable “fuel” (ATP) from the “tank” (muscle cell). To combat this energy loss, additional fatty acids must be oxidized to ensure optimal performance levels.

Even more exciting is that fact that Usnic acid “wastes” calories without elevating blood pressure, without raising heart rate, and without causing any central nervous system stimulation. An individual can, literally, swallow a dose of Usnic acid, fall asleep, and start burning fat even while unconscious.

Individuals who consume 30-60mg of Usnic acid per day usually notice a slight increase in body temperature. This phenomenon is due to the fact that lost energy escapes from the body as heat. Remember, warmth is a good indicator that the Usnic acid is effectively wasting energy and thus burning fat. From Species Nutrition

"Based on usnic acid doses in case reports of 450 mg to >1 g day−1," according to Metabolism and related human risk factors for hepatic damage by usnic acid containing nutritional supplements; Xenobiotica - 38(3):pages 264-280 - Informa Healthcare "these in vitro data indicate that usnic acid has significant potential to interact with other medications. Individual characteristics such as CYP1A induction status, co-administration of CYP1A2 inhibitors, UGT1A1 polymorphisms, and related hyperbilirubinaemias, or co-administration of low therapeutic index CYP2C substrates could work alone or in consort with other idiosyncrasy risk factors to increase the risk of adverse events and/or hepatotoxicity. Thus, usnic acid in nutritional supplements might be involved as both victim and/or perpetrator in clinically significant drug–drug interactions."

However Palumbo's Lipolyze contains just 12 mg per capsule. The literature recommends 3 capsules per day with meals for 36 mg per day. That's a far cry from the 450 mg per day noted above.

One aspirin offers pain relief while an entire bottle is potentially fatal. Is that at all analogous to usnic acid?

While I'm no scientist, it seems that Anthony Roberts is more interested in sensationalistic mudslinging than responsible reporting in this instance.
 
Interesting...
 
Palumbo is not making any secret of his use of Usnic Acid in his products.

USNIC ACID
Inside all the cells of the body, ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the fuel source that powers all daily activities. The majority of this ATP is produced when fats are oxidized (burnt up) inside the mitochondria (power station) of the muscle cell.

Usnic acid is what???s known in the field of biochemistry as an uncoupling agent. Derived from a simple plant lichen, Usnic acid ???uncouples??? or disconnects the ATP-producing machinery in the cell and ???releases??? all the potential energy that was supposed to be used to produce ATP.

Due to the energy and ATP loss (which is dissipated as heat), the muscle cells must dig into stored body fat and oxidize additional fats to ensure that optimal energy levels are maintained within the cells.

The following analogy should help explain how Usnic acid exerts its energy-wasting effect in the human body. Imagine someone putting a hole in the gas tank of your automobile. The car would still perform at maximal capacity however, it would require a significant amount of additional fuel to travel the same distance it had before the punctured tank.

Likewise, Usnic acid creates temporary ???holes??? in the mitochondrial membranes which then result in the loss of valuable ???fuel??? (ATP) from the ???tank??? (muscle cell). To combat this energy loss, additional fatty acids must be oxidized to ensure optimal performance levels.

Even more exciting is that fact that Usnic acid ???wastes??? calories without elevating blood pressure, without raising heart rate, and without causing any central nervous system stimulation. An individual can, literally, swallow a dose of Usnic acid, fall asleep, and start burning fat even while unconscious.

Individuals who consume 30-60mg of Usnic acid per day usually notice a slight increase in body temperature. This phenomenon is due to the fact that lost energy escapes from the body as heat. Remember, warmth is a good indicator that the Usnic acid is effectively wasting energy and thus burning fat. From Species Nutrition

"Based on usnic acid doses in case reports of 450 mg to >1 g day−1," according to Metabolism and related human risk factors for hepatic damage by usnic acid containing nutritional supplements; Xenobiotica - 38(3):pages 264-280 - Informa Healthcare "these in vitro data indicate that usnic acid has significant potential to interact with other medications. Individual characteristics such as CYP1A induction status, co-administration of CYP1A2 inhibitors, UGT1A1 polymorphisms, and related hyperbilirubinaemias, or co-administration of low therapeutic index CYP2C substrates could work alone or in consort with other idiosyncrasy risk factors to increase the risk of adverse events and/or hepatotoxicity. Thus, usnic acid in nutritional supplements might be involved as both victim and/or perpetrator in clinically significant drug???drug interactions."

However Palumbo's Lipolyze contains just 12 mg per capsule. The literature recommends 3 capsules per day with meals for 36 mg per day. That's a far cry from the 450 mg per day noted above.

One aspirin offers pain relief while an entire bottle is potentially fatal. Is that at all analogous to usnic acid?

While I'm no scientist, it seems that Anthony Roberts is more interested in sensationalistic mudslinging than responsible reporting in this instance.

What you have written here is true. And I have known many people using Lipolyze, including clients of mine, that have not had any problems with it. Still, UA remains a controversial compound.
 
Interesting...

It really is. :)

What you have written here is true. And I have known many people using Lipolyze, including clients of mine, that have not had any problems with it. Still, UA remains a controversial compound.

Just looked it up and was questioning more than making any statements. Other than, yeah, Roberts stirring the pot. He does that well. :D

Is the aspirin analogy valid at all in your opinion?
 
It really is. :)



Just looked it up and was questioning more than making any statements. Other than, yeah, Roberts stirring the pot. He does that well. :D

Is the aspirin analogy valid at all in your opinion?

Yes, a rather valid point...although I would still say that even at low dosages UA would have more potential to be harmful than something like aspirin.
 
While I'm no scientist, it seems that Anthony Roberts is more interested in sensationalistic mudslinging than responsible reporting in this instance.

I was going to post a retraction of the mudslinging comment, but then I saw this.

logo.jpg


Forgot that image was included in the blog post.

So while the jury might be out on usnic acid, it seems clear that there's some "mudslinging" ill will present in Roberts' reports re Species and Dave Palumbo.
 
I was going to post a retraction of the mudslinging comment, but then I saw this.

logo.jpg


Forgot that image was included in the blog post.

So while the jury might be out on usnic acid, it seems clear that there's some "mudslinging" ill will present in Roberts' reports re Species and Dave Palumbo.

I cannot stand when people in this industry make personal attacks on one another.
 
IML Gear Cream!
I cannot stand when people in this industry make personal attacks on one another.

Some might defend the image...

logo.jpg


as parody, but I am not really seeing that here. lol
 
Wow. That's a big hit for Species I would imagine. :(

Abstract
The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in developed countries has increased significantly over the years. Among the most popular are the weight loss supplements or "fat burners." Liver failure due to these popular remedies has been widely recognized. Usnic acid has been an ingredient of dietary supplements that cause liver failure. Its hepatotoxicity has not been recognized because it is usually mixed with other ingredients that are presumably hepatotoxic. We describe a case of a 28-yr-old woman who presented with fulminant liver failure requiring orthotopic liver transplantation, after taking pure usnic acid for weight loss. This is the first report on fulminant liver failure associated with the ingestion of pure usnic acid. A discussion about hepatotoxicity of the different compounds of dietary supplements is presented. This is a reminder for the clinicians about the potential side effects of CAM.


Abstract

Usnic acid
is a component of nutritional supplements promoted for weight loss that have been associated with liver-related adverse events including mild hepatic toxicity, chemical hepatitis, and liver failure requiring transplant. To determine if metabolism factors might have had a role in defining individual susceptibility to hepatotoxicity, in vitro metabolism studies were undertaken using human plasma, hepatocytes, and liver subcellular fractions. Usnic acid was metabolized to form three monohydroxylated metabolites and two regio-isomeric glucuronide conjugates of the parent drug. Oxidative metabolism was mainly by cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A2 and glucuronidation was carried out by uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 1A1 and UGT1A3. In human hepatocytes, usnic acid at 20 microM was not an inducer of CYP1A2, CYP2B6, or CYP3A4 relative to positive controls omeprazole, phenobarbital, and rifampicin, respectively. Usnic acid was a relatively weak inhibitor of CYP2D6 and a potent inhibitor of CYP2C19 (the concentration eliciting 50% inhibition (IC(50)) = 9 nM) and CYP2C9 (IC(50) = 94 nM), with less potent inhibition of CYP2C8 (IC(50) = 1.9 microM) and CYP2C18 (IC(50) = 6.3 microM). Pre-incubation of microsomes with usnic acid did not afford any evidence of time-dependent inhibition of CYP2C19, although evidence of slight time-dependent inhibition of CYP2C9 (K(I) = 2.79 microM and K(inact) = 0.022 min(-1)) was obtained. In vitro data were used with SimCYP(R)to model potential drug interactions. Based on usnic acid doses in case reports of 450 mg to >1 g day(-1), these in vitro data indicate that usnic acid has significant potential to interact with other medications. Individual characteristics such as CYP1A induction status, co-administration of CYP1A2 inhibitors, UGT1A1 polymorphisms, and related hyperbilirubinaemias, or co-administration of low therapeutic index CYP2C substrates could work alone or in consort with other idiosyncrasy risk factors to increase the risk of adverse events and/or hepatotoxicity. Thus, usnic acid in nutritional supplements might be involved as both victim and/or perpetrator in clinically significant drug-drug interactions.

The above two abstracts were located using Google Scholar search.

Here's what the Wiki entry offered:

Usnic acid possess a wide range of interesting biological properties. It is a potent antibiotic effective against gram positive bacteria, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, and Pneumococcus, as well as some pathogenic fungi. It also exhibits antiviral, antiprotozoal, antimitotic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. Other characteristics, like ultraviolet absorption, preserving properties, antigrowth, antiherbivore and anti-insect properties, have also been demonstrated.
Usnic acid has been included as an ingredient in creams, powders, toothpastes, mouthwash, deodorants, hair shampoos and sunscreen products. In some of these preparations, usnic acid is employed as an active principle, in others as a preservative.

Usnic acid and its salt form, sodium usniate, have been marketed in the US as an ingredient in food supplements for use in weight reduction, although unsupported by solid scientific proof.
These supplements, if taken according to label instructions, can supply daily oral doses of 10-1350 mg for adults. Daily oral intake of 300-1350 mg over a period of weeks has led to severe hepatotoxicity in a number of persons.

More @ Usnic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
Many people will be quite disappointed about this product being pulled. I wonder how many people overall have made complaints about it. This is a huge seller for Dave and will certainly hurt Species if removed from the market.
 
Back
Top