CELEBS BLASTED FOR ‘HARMFUL’ INSTA DIET PLUGS
‘Ignorant’ stars may lead fans to take killer pills
STARS have been warned they could prompt fans to try risky pills by plugging diet products on Instagram.
Public Health England last week warned about weight loss tablets linked to 23 deaths.
Banned dinitrophenol (DNP) speeds up the metabolism but can lead to fatal overheating.
Some users have described feeling as if they are “being boiled alive”. Dealer Bernard Rebelo was jailed for seven years in June for the manslaughter of student Eloise Parry, 21, inset.
The bulimia sufferer died in 2015 after taking eight DNP pills sold by Rebelo.
She had told a nutritionist she was buying them to lose weight. In the weeks before her death she was admitted to hospital numerous times suffering from the effects of the chemical. Rebelo is thought to have made more than £200,000 profit from his sales. The deadly pills still turn up for sale on Instagram.
Elsewhere on the app, perfectly legal diet supplements are being promoted to people seeking an hour-glass figure.
Stars including Gemma Collins, Geordie Shore’s Marnie Simpson and TOWIE’s Ferne McCann have all plugged get-thin shakes.
But experts say fans who find celeb-backed quick fixes don’t meet their expectations could turn to “extreme” options such as DNP. Dietitian Caroline Day said: “It’s often the case with any kind of diet or restrictive eating that when the desired result isn’t achieved, it would be easy for that person then to turn to a more extreme form of weight loss, like the DNP pills, out of frustration.
“It’s important to remember celebrities are unqualified and are essentially saying what they’ve been told, to help sell something.
“Social media influencers are subject to very few rules when it comes to sponsorship deals.
“There are some potentially very harmful substances in some supplements, particularly in fat burners.
“DNP includes an industrial chemical that is extremely dangerous and can result in coma and death.
“Products that include Dinosan, Solfo Black, Nitrophen, Aldifen, Chemox or Yellow Magic should also be avoided.”
TOWIE star Gemma Collins promoted the legal Boombod appetite suppressing shot drinks in an Instagram video to her 987,000 followers. Meanwhile, Marnie Simpson plugged the Skinny Coffee Club to her 3.1million fans, writing: “Best thing I ever did.”
Charlotte Dawson also backed the coffee. She wrote: “I literally can not believe the difference in just 4 weeks. I really chuffin recommend you to get on it my darlings!”
And TOWIE pals Ferne McCann and Danielle Armstrong are such big fans of Herbalife shakes, they have dedicated accounts to promote them.
Caroline Day, co-founder of nutrition myth busting website Fight The Fads, claims people can be swayed by idols.
She added: “Generally, any sort of diet shake, pill or shortcut isn’t going to work long term and could be detrimental to your physical and mental health.
“More and more people are reported to have developed unhealthy eating patterns or health issues as a result of following extreme diet advice from glamorous Insta celebs.”
A Herbalife Nutrition spokesman said their products are effective when accompanied by exercise and healthy meals. They added: “Herbalife Nutrition has never, and will never, promote or encourage short cuts to healthy weight loss.”