Brain-Boosting Scam: Foreign Health Foods Promising Memory and Concentration Gains Found to Contain Banned Ingredients

‘Galantamine’, an American-made brain function improvement food that contains prescription drug ingredients [아마존 판매 사이트 갈무리]

Many banned ingredients and raw materials have been detected in brain health-related foods that claim to improve memory and concentration.

The Korea Consumer Agency and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety today released the results of ingredient testing of 19 foreign brain health functional foods sold at domestic and overseas online shopping malls.

All products contained prescription drug ingredients that required a doctor’s prescription or ingredients that could not be used in food.

Eight of these products contained neuropsychiatric prescription drugs such as galantamine, vinpocetine, and citicoline, which can cause vomiting and shock if taken incorrectly.

The 12 products included Nupept, Bacopa, and Lycopodium, which have not been evaluated for safety or are prohibited for food use due to side effects such as gastrointestinal problems or headaches.

Among the various ingredients contained in the product, this is the first time that the inflow of galantamine and Nupeptide, which were blocked from entering the country last month, has been confirmed.

The Korea Consumer Agency recommended that businesses that purchase 19 products stop selling them and requested online shopping malls to block sales.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it had requested the Korea Customs Service to suspend customs clearance of the product while requesting the Korea Communications Standards Commission to block access to overseas sales sites.