Staff report

Local stores say they do not carry the Total Body dietary supplement products included in an advisory from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The Alabama Department of Public Health was informed of an advisory from the FDA not to purchase or consume Total Body Formula in the flavors of tropical organic and peach nectar or Total Body Mega Formula in the orange/tangerine flavor because they may cause severe

adverse reactions, including significant hair loss, muscle cramps, diarrhea, joint pain and fatigue.

The state health department said the exact distribution of the product in the state is unknown.

The products are sold in eight-ounce and 32-ounce plastic bottles.

The Total Body Mega Formula is sold in 32-ounce plastic bottles.

Both products are distributed by total Body Essential Nutrition of Atlanta. The company is the sole distributor of the products and has voluntarily recalled them.

The FDA said in a press release it was alerted to the product by the Florida Department of Health, which recently provided reports to the FDA on 23 individuals who experienced serious reactions to the products seven to 10 days after taking them.

The FDA is analyzing samples of the products to identify the cause of the reactions, including the possibility that the products contain excessive amounts of selenium, a mineral that is needed by the body to stay healthy. It can be toxic in high concentrations.

In addition to Alabama, the products have been distributed in California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.