The FDA Is issuing a public health alert about dietary supplements that contain cesium salts, primarily cesium chloride. This ingredient has significant safety risks, including heart toxicity and potential death. The FDA is also alerting health care professionals about the risks of cesium salts, which are sometimes promoted as alternative treatments for cancer.
Cesium salts have never been proven to be safe and effective to treat cancer or for any other use. While only a few dietary supplements on the market contain this ingredient, consumers should not purchase those products.
According to the alert, there have been”multiple clinical case reports and non-clinical studies show significant safety concerns related to the use of such products, including potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias, hypokalemia (low potassium), seizures, syncope (fainting, unresponsiveness), and death.”
The FDA conducted a comprehensive review of the CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System database related to cesium salts and other available information to evaluate the safety of supplements containing this ingredient. A citizen petition filed by Public Citizen and Public Citizen’s Health Research group prompted this review.
The review identified multiple clinical case reports and non-clinical studies that suggest cesium chloride and other cesium salts have significant safety risks. And in July 2018, the FDA warned healthcare professionals that cesium salts are a signifiant safety risk when used in compounding drugs.
If you or someone you know experiences an adverse event while using one of these dietary supplements, stop using it, seek immediate medical are, and report the adverse event to the FDA. You can also call an FDA Consumer Complaint Coordinator to speak directly to a person about a compliant or problem.
As always, if claims about dietary supplements or any other product sound too good to be true, they are. The FDA advises that healthcare professionals do not recommend these supplements to their patients.
