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



## Arnold (Apr 18, 2010)

*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
> ...


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 







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


----------



## gopro (Apr 20, 2010)

Ouch. I always knew UA would bite him in the rear one day.


----------



## Curt James (Apr 20, 2010)

Robert said:


> *Species Nutrition the subject of personal injury claim*
> _by Anthony Roberts
> _(snip)
> Usnic Acid.
> ...



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)ages 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.


----------



## MsGuns (Apr 20, 2010)

*Interesting...*


----------



## gopro (Apr 21, 2010)

Curt James said:


> 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.
> 
> ...



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.


----------



## Curt James (Apr 21, 2010)

MsGuns said:


> *Interesting...*



It really _is._ 



gopro said:


> 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. 

Is the aspirin analogy valid at all in your opinion?


----------



## gopro (Apr 21, 2010)

Curt James said:


> It really _is._
> 
> 
> 
> ...



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.


----------



## Curt James (Apr 22, 2010)

Curt James said:


> 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_.






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.


----------



## gopro (Apr 25, 2010)

Curt James said:


> I _was _going to post a retraction of the mudslinging comment, but then I saw _this_.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I cannot stand when people in this industry make personal attacks on one another.


----------



## Arnold (Apr 25, 2010)

*Species Nutrition Lipolyze and  Somalyze pulled from Bodybuilding.com            *


----------



## Curt James (Apr 25, 2010)

gopro said:


> I cannot stand when people in this industry make personal attacks on one another.



Some might defend the image...






as _parody_, but I am not really seeing that here. lol


----------



## Curt James (Apr 25, 2010)

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*


----------



## World-Pharma.org (Apr 27, 2010)

they take off this product all over sup stores over internet. also MD store


----------



## gopro (Apr 28, 2010)

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.


----------

