She died from dehydration due to gastroenteritis
A coroner’s report has concluded the death of the wife of a US congressman was linked to the “adverse effects” of a herbal remedy she had taken.
Lori McClintock, wife of Californian congressman Tom McClintock, was found unresponsive by her husband in December 2021.
The day before her death, she had complained of stomach pain.
An inquest into her death found that the 61-year-old died from dehydration due to gastroenteritis which was caused by “adverse effects of white mulberry leaf ingestion,” a health supplement commonly marketed for weight loss and diabetes.
The report ruled her death as “accidental.”
Following her death, her family said in a statement: “Our family’s darkest day and most terrible nightmare has come. Lori is gone.
“And with her all the light, warmth, fun, friendship and love she brought everywhere she went and to everyone she met.
“We are devastated and our world is shattered. Only those who knew her can understand the enormity of the tragedy of her passing for her family and many friends.
“Our only comfort is that her unbounded charity, goodness, and faith assures her eternal life in heaven, where she will surely watch over all who loved her and whom she loved.
“On behalf of our grieving family, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all who have offered so many kind “memories and tributes in condolence. We will always love her ‘more than all the stars in the sky.’”
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It is unclear in what form McClintock took the supplement, but the coroner noted that a “partially intact” white mulberry leaf was found inside her stomach after she died.
According to Kaiser Health News (KHN), mulberry leaf is usually considered safe to consume, and has been used for centuries as a traditional medicine. Studies have found it can lower blood sugar levels and help with weight loss.
Just two cases of people falling ill after taking the supplement have been reported to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 2004.
Dr. D’Michelle DuPre, a retired forensic pathologist and a former medical examiner in South Carolina who reviewed the documents, told KHN that mulberry leaves “do tend to cause dehydration, and part of the uses for that can be to help someone lose weight, mostly through fluid loss, which in this case was just kind of excessive.”
But Daniel Fabricant, chief executive and president of the Natural Products Association, said any connection between McClintock’s death and white mulberry leaf was “completely speculative.”
He said: “People unfortunately pass from dehydration every day, and there’s a lot of different reasons and a lot of different causes.”
The FDA estimates 40,000 to 80,000 supplement products are on the market in the U.S., and industry surveys estimate 80% of Americans use them.
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