DNP and Weight Loss

DNP, also known as 2,4-Dinitrophenol is a potent chemical touted as a weight loss drug because it speeds up fat metabolism. But DNP can be toxic to humans, and its use for weight loss has already resulted in death. It has been banned by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) since the 1930s.

Weight Loss

Some people seek ways to lose weight without having to change their eating habits, reducing calories, or exercise on a regular basis. These individuals sometimes opt for diet pills as a weight loss option; and DNP has been recommended to bodybuilders and other consumers seeking to lose body fat.

Diet Pills and DNP

Dinitrophenol first entered the diet pill market in the 1930s, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, by 1938 it had been banned for use as a diet pill. Dinitrophenol gained a reputation for causing cataracts and death during this time.

In fact, some side effects (increased heart and breathing rates, along with body temperature) were evidenced with the swallowing of as little as one milligram of Dinitrophenol per every one kilogram of body weight (or every 2.2 pounds). In other words, that means that an individual weighing 220 pounds who swallowed 22 milligrams of Dinitrophenol a day could expect to have these symptoms.

DNP Characteristics

DNP is a solid. It is yellow and odorless. It does not occur naturally, but is manufactured. There are six different types of Dinitrophenol, but 2,4-Dinitrophenol is the one most important commercially, as it has many uses other than for the dangerous diet pills.

DNP's Other Uses

DNP was previously used as an herbicide and fungicide, according to an article in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology. In addition to insect control, the chemical DNP is used to make explosives, photographic developer, wood preservatives and dye, the CDC says .

DNP and Death

In June of 2003, Sean Zhang was sentenced to five years in prison for mail fraud involving the promotion of DNP as a diet pill for weight loss. One of Zhang's mail-order customers died from the pills, according to the FDA. Another had to be hospitalized for two weeks.