Workout Sports Supplement Causes Stroke; Woman Suffers 'Brain Attack' From BPEA Stimulant

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A Swedish woman suffered a hemorrhagic stroke caused by an unlabeled stimulant, called BMPEA, found in her workout supplement.

The healthy 53-year-old woman was said to have taken a pre-workout supplement, called Jacked Power, before starting her usual workout routine. At 45 minutes in her vigorous gym session, she reportedly felt numbness and clumsiness in her left hand that continued all day, according to Live Science.

The woman went to the doctor the following day and her CT scan revealed a 2-centimeter hemorrhage in her right parietal lobe. She recovered and was out of the hospital after 5 days.

Dr. Pieter Cohen of the Harvard Medical School, lead author of the case study, and his colleagues were able to find BMPEA as the probable cause for the woman's stroke. Their report was published in Annals of Internal Medicine. BMPEA (β-Methylphenylethylamine) is a stimulant found in some fitness supplements and is an unnatural compound. Not much is known about its health effects on humans.

"Dietary supplements can legally be sold to improve workouts even when there is zero evidence that they actually work in humans," said Dr. Cohen via Eureka Alert. "This creates a perverse incentive for manufacturers to introduce untested drugs into sports supplements to achieve the advertised effect. Tragically, untested stimulants can pose serious health risks to unsuspecting consumers."

Hemorrhagic stroke is a condition where a weakened blood vessel erupts and leaks blood in the surrounding brain, according to American Stroke Association. However, the team of experts cannot really say that BMPEA was the cause of the woman's stroke. Some people can experience stroke while exercising but it is typically caused by an underlying condition such as brain aneurysm, according to Live Science.

Before the incident, the Swedish woman had normal weight, low blood pressure, and was physically fit. Medical Daily reports that she did not have a family history of stroke or coagulation disorders. She also does not use recreational drugs, only drank alcohol on occasion, and quit smoking more than 20 years ago.

A team of experts narrowed down the cause of the woman's stroke on BMPEA as it was found in high doses on the patient's supplement. The team of experts found the BMPEA substance after analyzing the supplement the woman was using. BMPEA is known by many names and this substance is not a vitamin, herb, mineral, botanical, or a dietary substance, according to US Food and Drugs Administration.