A 20-year-old polytechnic student in Singapore died of poisoning after taking fat-burning pills for bodybuilding and weight loss. The deceased was a 20-year-old male polytechnic student who passed away at Tan Tock Seng Hospital on December 22, 2024.
The coroner has issued a gag order on the identity of the deceased, and on Thursday morning, an inquest into the cause of death commenced, with investigators summoned to testify in court.
The investigator stated that the deceased was studying sports science at the polytechnic before his death. He was interested in bodybuilding and had participated in competitions.
At the time of admission to hospital, the deceased had taken fat-burning pills, which caused him to experience heart palpitations and difficulty breathing, after which he was sent to a hospital. His father later brought him to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for treatment, but he unfortunately passed away that same day.
There were no injuries found on the deceased at the time of admission, ruling out the possibility of foul play. The cause of death was identified as dinitrophenol poisoning. Dinitrophenol is a type of fat-burning drug.
The investigator said that later, at the deceased’s residence, 34 items of medication were found in his room and kitchen, including health supplements and weight-loss pills. Because of bodybuilding, the deceased had issues with weight loss and had sought weight-loss medication from clinics, but these did not match the drugs later found in his blood.
The deceased’s parents were aware that he was dieting and working out, and always supported his decisions and actions, so they were not very clear about the exact types of pills he took each day.
The investigator stated that the origin of the drug consumed by the deceased, which caused his death, remains unknown, and the family was also not very clear about it. As for the other medications found at the deceased’s home, some were also not doctor-prescribed, and their sources were likewise unknown.
Additionally, when the coroner asked if the deceased’s phone had been checked to trace the source of the drugs, the investigator replied that the phone could not be unlocked for investigation due to the absence of the password.