Health Highlights: Nov. 3, 2007

ByABC News
March 24, 2008, 1:52 AM

Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

FDA Orders Recall of Unregulated Erectile Dysfunction Products

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has asked a California distribution company to recall pills and capsules advertised as "all natural" products to correct erectile dysfunction.

Calling True Man Sexual Energy Nutrient Capsules and Energy Max Energy Supplement Men's Formula Capsules illegal drug products, the FDA said in a news release that the supplements' ingredients are potentially harmful and could cause dangerously low blood pressure.

In a letter to the owner of America True Man Health Inc., of West Covina, Calif., the FDA said that the products have substances with chemical structures very similar to the active ingredients in FDA-approved prescription drugs, such as Viagra. The FDA has not approved the products distributed by America True Man Health Inc., and the labels don't declare the the active ingredients thione, an analog of sildenafil; or piperadino vardenafil, an analog of vardenafil.

These substances can be especially harmful to men with diabetes, the FDA said.

Consumers should report adverse events related to these products to the online Web site MedWatch, the FDA's voluntary reporting program, at http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm.

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Test Developed to Help Avoid 'Red Wine Headache'

For some people, it may take only a glass of red wine to cause a headache. Now, University of California at Berkeley researchers say they've developed a device that can help stave off the "red wine headache."

The device, about the size of a briefcase, will eventually be able to test the biogenic amine levels in a variety of foods and liquids, the Associated Press reports.

Biogenic amines are chemicals found in a variety of popular foods and beverages, including wine, chocolate, nuts cheese, olives and cured meats, the wire service reports.

The amines tyramine and histamine are suspected of being causes of not only headaches in some people but also high blood pressure and elevated adrenaline levels, the A.P. reports. "The food you eat is so unbelievably coupled with your body's chemistry," researcher Richard Mathies is quoted as saying.