2,4-Dinitrophenol

2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP), C₆H₄N₂O₄, is a cellular metabolic poison. It uncouples oxidative phosphorylation by carrying protons across the mitochondrial membrane, leading to a rapid consumption of energy without generation of ATP.

It was used in the 1930s in diet pills, since it promotes the metabolizing of carbohydrates and fats, the patient losing the energy as heat and causing dramatic weight loss over a relatively short time. However, there were concerns about carcinogenic mutations, as well as the risk of overdose leading to severe health risk and death, and this use was discontinued.

Today, DNP is used by bodybuilders, often illegally, to rapidly lose body fat before contests.

External links

• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry ToxFAQ about Dinitrophenols
• nutritionandmetabolism.com article on the thermodynamics of weight loss diets
• UK Food Standards Agency press release warning of 2,4-dinitrophenol use for 'fat burning' in the bodybuilding community