Diet Aid or Aid to Die: an Update on 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) Use As a Weight-loss Product

Overview

Journal Arch Toxicol

Specialty Toxicology

Date 2020 Feb 21

PMID 32078021

Citations 9

Authors

Daniela Sousa

Helena Carmo

Rita Roque Bravo

Felix Carvalho

Maria de Lourdes Bastos

Paula Guedes de Pinho

Diana Dias da Silva

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

During the last decades, we have witnessed unparalleled changes in human eating habits and lifestyle, intensely influenced by cultural and social pressures. Sports practice became strongly implemented in daily routines, and visits to the gym peaked, driven by the indulgence in intensive 'weight-loss programs'. The pledge of boasting a healthy and beautiful body instigates the use of very attractive 'fat burners', which are purportedly advertised as safe products, easily available in the market and expected to quickly reduce body weight. In this context, the slimming properties of 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DNP) galvanised its use as a weight-loss product, despite the drug ban for human consumption in many countries since 1938, due to its adverse effects. The main symptoms associated with 2,4-DNP intoxication, including hyperthermia, tachycardia, decreased blood pressure, and acute renal failure, motivated a worldwide warning, issued by the Interpol Anti-Doping Unit in 2015, reinforcing its hazard. Information on the effects of 2,4-DNP mainly derive from the intoxication cases reported by emergency care units, for which there is no specific antidote or treatment. This review provides a comprehensive update on 2,4-DNP use, legislation and epidemiology, chemistry and analytical methodologies for drug determination in commercial products and biological samples, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, toxicological effects, and intoxication diagnosis and management.

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