The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a warning against using weight loss products marketed as containing so-called "turkey seeds" or "slimming seeds." The reason: These seeds have not been shown to help with weight loss, and the products that supposedly contain them can be extremely toxic. We used ChatGPT to figure out what the problem was:
The FDA's warning follows the case of a man in Maryland who was hospitalized after consuming such a product. While turkey nuts are used in some traditional Asian medicine, and are considered safe to consume in small amounts and after cooking, there is no significant evidence to support their being a natural remedy for weight loss. In fact, eating these nuts can have laxative effects and provoke severe vomiting.
However, the even worse problem is that some products labeled as containing these nut seeds do not contain them at all – but rather similar looking seeds of a plant called yellow oleander. Ingesting yellow oleander seeds can lead to a variety of adverse health effects, including neurological problems, gastrointestinal problems, and cardiovascular problems. These symptoms can be severe and, in some cases, even fatal.
The danger lies in the fact that all parts of the yellow oleander plant – a tropical shrub with yellow flowers – are poisonous if swallowed. The plant contains cardiac glycosides, which are compounds that can increase the intensity of the heart's contractions while slowing the pulse. These chemicals can also affect the stomach, intestines, and nervous system, leading to symptoms like nausea, abdominal pain, hallucinations, blurred vision, and weakness.
Two manufacturers that marketed such products immediately announced their recall from supermarket shelves and online stores. However, it is important to be aware of the problem and avoid purchasing similar products from other brands and countries as well. It is important to note that although the nut seeds in question are usually not dangerous, they are also not proven in any way to help with weight loss, so the risk of ordering products that claim to contain them but may contain yellow oleander seeds is not worth it.
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