Warning on fat-burning drug

Tuesday June 24th, 2014

A toxic "fat-burning" chemical is becoming increasingly popular with body-obsessed Britons, doctors warned today.

Five people are known to have died after taking the chemical while in six years some 30 emergency incidents were reported by hospitals.

The problem has been caused by 2,4-Dinitrophenol - or DNP - which speeds up the body's metabolism, helping to trigger the burning of stores of fat and glucose.

The chemical was developed for the manufacture of dyes and wood preservatives - and was banned as a human drug in 1938. But it is still obtainable on-line.

The Emergency Medicine Journal reports on inquiries made to the National Poisons Information Service in the UK.

In most cases patients suffered from fever or accelerated heart rate.

Researcher Professor Simon Thomas, of Newcastle University, UK, reports: "The Food Standards Agency has been working with police and local authorities to crack down on sales of DNP, say the researchers, but additional steps may be necessary to curb the number of episodes of severe poisoning and associated deaths."

Increasing frequency of severe clinical toxicity after use of 2,4-dinitrophenol in the UK: a report from the National Poisons Information Service Emergency Medicine Journal 24 June 2014; doi 10.1136/emermed-2013-203335 [abstract]

Tags: A&E | Diet & Food | Fitness | Pharmaceuticals | UK News

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