After a series of reports in the medical literature of serious liver problems, including one death, the FDA warned consumers to stop using Hydroxycut, and Iovate agreed to voluntarily recall the products.

Nixon also alleged that "MuscleTech's own consultants had serious concerns about the safety of Hydroxycut, but the company continued to market the product.

"[17][18] MuscleTech paid $100,000 to settle the case and agreed to cease marketing ephedra-containing products in Missouri and to refund customers' money.

[20][21] By 2009, about 15% of Americans had tried taking dietary supplements for weight loss, and Hydroxycut was the biggest seller, with about a million units sold each year.

[4][30] The warning stated "Although the liver damage appears to be relatively rare, FDA believes consumers should not be exposed to unnecessary risk.

[27] After the 2009 recall, Hydroxycut was reformulated and placed back on sale, and the FDA confirmed that the only ingredient left from prior formulations was caffeine.

An article published in 2010 reported on a case of atrial fibrillation that the author suspected was due to epigallocatechin gallate[36] in Hydroxycut Green Tea, a product that as of 2012 is no longer marketed.

The editors of the nutrition trade journal Nutrition Business Journal noted that this recall "will ultimately be a good thing for the dietary supplement industry if it encourages weight-loss supplement manufacturers to care as much about their products' safety and efficacy as they do about expanding and protecting their bottom lines.

"[6] In a paper published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology in October 2010, Hydroxycut was cited as an example of "current and former weight loss products backed by potentially conflicted or low quality research."

"[5] The paper noted that at least three studies supported the safety and effectiveness for weight loss of Cissus quadrangularis (CQ), which is an ingredient used in one of the reformulated Hydroxycut products, but "lack financial disclosures or funding sources, beyond mentioning that the CQ being tested was provided by" General Health Alliances, an herbal products manufacturer.