A Bodybuilder Died After Taking DNP, a Weight Loss Drug That's Slowly Killing Fit Young Men

DNP has been illegal for years— but that didn't stop 24-year-old bodybuilder Liam Willis from buying it online

December 8, 2017
weight loss drug killing people

Last July, 24-year-old Liam Willis of South Wales was found dead in a motel room. Last week, an inquest into his death found that it was caused by a weight-loss supplement containing 2,4-Dinitrophenol, also known as DNP. This illegal drug is marketed as a miracle weight-loss aid and is often targeted towards the bodybuilding community. But the rapid weight loss comes at a very high price — as demonstrated not only by Willis' death, but by the deaths of young men and women just like him.

DNP rapidly accelerates one's basal metabolic rate, which can lead to quick weight loss. But it actually was never created to be used as a weight loss aid. It was used by the French for manufacturing munitions during World War I. It's also been used as a pesticide, as a dye, and as a wood preserver.


But in 1933, when DNP was first tried for human consumption, Stanford scientists discovered the bright-yellow compound, manufactured in both powder and crystal form, had fat-shredding properties. DNP was then marketed as a miracle over-the-counter weight-loss drug — that is, until the adverse affects of the drug began to surface, ranging from dehydration and cataracts to, most frighteningly, death. As a result, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 ruled DNP as "extremely dangerous and not fit for human consumption."

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Andrea Petroczi, Professor of Public Health at Kingston University has done extensive research on both DNP and sports doping, providing regular consultancy to the World Anti-Doping Agency. She explained to Men's Health what DNP actually does at a cellular level. Essentially, it boosts basal metabolic rate to accelerate fat burn, resulting in high internal body temperature as the dose increases.

"When it is taken at the high level doses which makes it effective for weight loss, health risks include short-term lethargy, nausea, vomiting and an increased pulse rate," Petroczi said. "Severe long-term effects can include cataracts, damage to the liver, and death."

These long-term effects were noted back in the 1930s. But in recent years, it's been making a resurgence as a weight-loss drug— thanks in part to a physician named Dr. Nicholas Bachynsky, who, in the 1980's, began treating people with DNP, re-labeling it "Mitcal," and falsely claimed it to have a multitude of health benefits in addition to weight loss. He was later imprisoned for fraud— but the ramifications of his actions are still being felt today.


Although DNP is banned in both the United States and the United Kingdom, it is still easily available for purchase online— and it's being marketed towards bodybuilders as an easy way to drop body fat, fast. With access to the drug now easier than ever, there has been a marked increase in the number of DNP-attributed deaths since the turn of the century, especially among fit, young people.

A case study from 2004 examined the case of a 22-year-old man who died as a result of taking DNP. 16 hours after taking what was advertised to him as a "safe" dose of the supplement containing DNP, he showed up at the emergency room; despite the doctor's best efforts, he died an hour later. In a 2005 case, a teenage girl also died after purchasing DNP on the internet as a weight-loss supplement.

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Both people had purchased DNP online thinking it was a "safe" weight-loss aid, despite a nearly 80-year rule that has deemed DNP highly dangerous and unfit for human consumption.

Now, Petroczi says that DNP is all over the internet, hiding behind a multitude of names including Sulfo/Solfo Black, Nitro Kleenup or Caswell No.392. While it can be tempting to buy a pill that claims to make your fat disappear, know that it's indeed too good to be true. Your body will thank you for taking a much more practical and safe approach to long-term weight loss— eating right and exercising regularly.