23 January 2015: A number of BBC News outlets reported on the use of fat-burning diet pills, bought legally from health shops and sometimes gyms. Jayne Lawrence, RPS chief scientist, was interviewed about the possible dangers of taking these supplements. Jayne spoke to BBC radio stations in Lincolnshire, Bristol, West Midlands, Shropshire, Newcastle and Humberside, as well as BBC Look North.
Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Lawrence said: “Anybody who wants to take these pills and uses them as a way to lose weight is actually taking their life in their own hands… A fat burner is something that increases a person’s metabolism… the problem is there isn’t any compound that has been properly tested for use as a fat burner, so people taking these compounds are taking a compound that hasn’t been tested. So we don’t know the dose they should be taking, we don’t know the side-effects of them… if they buy them over the internet we don’t even know the quality of the product they’re taking.”