Deaths due to diet pills rise among men

DIET-PILL deaths are increasing among men amid growing body-image pressure, despite warnings from health experts about the safety of purchasing illegal tablets online.

Five men died in the first six months of this year after taking the controversial chemical Dinitrophenol, widely known as DNP.

Just three men died in the whole of 2017, according to figures compiled by Public Health England.

Academics now fear others who are susceptible to mounting social pressures to attain the perfect body may resort to taking the chemical. DNP is sold on the internet as a weight reduction aid aimed at body builders and image-conscious young men.

Though technically not a drug but a chemical, the Food Standards Agency has stated it has not been approved for human consumption and its sale as a drug is illegal. The slightest overdose can destroy the cells of the body’s vital organs including the heart.

Simon Thomas, director of the National Poisons Information Service, said: ‘‘People will have seen a recommended dosage on a website and have died. There is no safe way to use DNP.’’