Health experts back tragic Shropshire mother over diet pills danger

They backed the message from Fiona Parry, the mother of the 21-year-old, who has urged other girls not to make the same mistake as her daughter.

Eloise, of Mereside, Shrewsbury, accidentally took a lethal dose of diet pills she had bought over the internet.

Experts said buying drugs online is risky, as medicines may be fake, out of date, or extremely harmful. Diet pills can also falsely increase metabolism and can cause unpleasant side effects.

Stuart Henderson, joint managing director of Ideal Fitness, on Stafford Park, Telford, urged people to remember there is "no substitute" for exercise and a healthy diet.

He said: "While incidents like this are thankfully quite a rare occurrence, it does show the very real dangers of diet pills.

"Even when taken in the correct dose, diet pills are not good for the body. They falsely increase the body's metabolism which can cause unpleasant side effects, and when taken in excessive quantities can be very dangerous, as we have tragically seen.

"The safest and most sustainable way to lose weight, and maintain a healthy weight, is to have a structured diet and exercise programme."

Eloise, known as Ella, a student at Glyndwr University, died at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on April 12.

She had driven there herself after taking eight of the pills, just two of which were said to constitute a lethal dose.

Doctors were unable to save Eloise, who took the tablets believed to contain the highly toxic industrial chemical dinitrophenol, also known as DNP.

Users of DNP experience a metabolism boost, leading to weight loss, but taking even a few tablets can be fatal.

West Mercia police are conducting an investigation into Miss Parry's death.

Dr Roger Henderson, senior partner at Linden Hall, in Newport, said: "My advice would be never use them full stop. There is no substitute for exercising more and eating less. There is no quick and easy way to lose weight and diet pills available on the internet are inherently dangerous because you do not know what actual ingredients are in them – it really is as black and white as that.

Kate Ballinger, manager for Healthwatch Telford & Wrekin, urged people to contact them about any issues with local health or social care.

She said: "If people have resorted to the internet for this then we want to know why. We need to make sure we are picking up feedback and if anyone is unsure then please talk to your local healthwatch. I personally would not advocate anyone to buy diet pills off the internet."

DNP was first used in French munition factories during the First World War to make explosives. The chemical became popular among people trying to lose weight, including those with eating disorders and bodybuilders, after trials revealed it can result in the loss of up to seven kg in a week.

Professor Simon Thomas, from the National Poisons Information Unit, said

people who take DNP "can get dehydration, nausea and vomiting and then this can progress to confusion and convulsions and liver and kidney failure and within a few hours in some cases it can produce death".

An inquest into Eloise's death has been adjourned until July 2.