DNP (2,4-Dinitrophenol)

Tier 4 — risky / avoid · Fatal hyperthermia · Metabolic uncoupling

An industrial chemical used in explosives and dyes that causes weight loss by uncoupling mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation — releasing the energy from metabolism as heat and raising core body temperature to lethal levels. Implicated in roughly 1 to 2 deaths per year in the UK alone from hyperthermia. There is no safe dose, no antidote, and death can occur within hours of taking too much. Sold illegally online for weight loss. The UK classified it as a poison in 2023 after multiple deaths.

Dose: AVOID — no safe dose; no antidote; causes fatal hyperthermia within hours of overdose