A Broward County, Florida coroner confirmed that Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve Bechler's death due to heatstroke was in part attributable to his use of a dietary supplement that contained Ephedrine. But the folks at Cytodyne, the company that markets Xenadrine, the supplement that Bechler reportedly was taking at the time of his death, were quick to go on the attack:
"The fact that the medical examiner found traces of ephedra in Mr. Bechler's system does not mean that Mr. Bechler died from ephedra. He died from heatstroke,'' said Shane Freedman, legal officer for the manufacturer.The Ephedra Education Council, an industry group, said Perper's conclusions weren't based on science.
"The current science supports the safety and significant weight loss benefits of ephedra when it is used according to industry standards,'' the council said in a statement.
The Ephedra Education Council? A quick look at the Council's Web site reveals that there are only five members -- essentially all the companies in the U.S. that manufacture and/or distribute supplements that contain Ephedra. The Council's address is listed as 2000 K Street, N.W., Suite 801, Washington, D.C. More than likely, the Ephedra Education Council isn't anything more than a mail drop for the office of a D.C.-based public relations firm.
