NATION : L-Tryptophan Imports Halted
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WASHINGTON — Federal regulators today imposed an automatic detention at U.S. ports on all tablets and bulk supplies of L-tryptophan and said the number of reported cases of a blood disorder linked to the nutritional supplement has risen to 707.
The FDA said the action was ordered as a follow-up to its Nov. 17 request for a nationwide recall of all L-tryptophan products in which the substance is the sole or major component.
The national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has established a link between the nutritional supplement and a blood disorder known as eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. The syndrome is marked by severe muscle and joint pain, swelling of the arms and legs, skin rash and sometimes fever.
Some people take supplements of L-tryptophan to treat sleeplessness, depression, premenstrual syndrome, stress and other problems.
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