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>Beware, slimming pills can get you killed also >Subhendu Maiti and Ishani Malhotra >Kolkata, February 4 > >Slimming pills may help you lose kilos quickly but >they can also kill you, say health experts. Realising >this, the West Bengal health department has decided to >issue a notification warning consumers of the dangers >of 'food and dietary supplements' that are flooding >the market, including slimming pills. > >Dr B. Chakraborty, assistant director and analyst at >the State Drug Control Research Laboratory, said: >"Most slimming pills are toxic and can harm the >kidneys and the liver. The anabolic steroids used in >energy-boosting or fat-reducing drugs may even cause >death." > >Despite the health risks, the West Bengal Drug Control >(WBDC) department cannot clamp down on the >manufacturers or dispensers of these lethal pills >because they are classified as nutritional or dietary >supplements. This means that under the Prevention of >Food Adulteration Act, they cannot be considered >'drugs' even though they contain pharmacologically >active chemicals. > >The Drugs and Cosmetics Act allows the drug controller >to monitor only stuff sold as drugs or medicines. "We >can act only if a slimming centre or a manufacturer >advertises its pills as a 'cure' for obesity or a way >of increasing energy," a WBDC official said. > >Last week, the Mumbai clinic of celebrity dietician >Anjali Mukherjee was raided by the Food and Drugs >Commissioner after an IAS officer had to be >hospitalised for severe haemoglobin loss after taking >her diet supplements. Mukherjee's claim to fame is >that she gave Lara Dutta, Yukta Mookhey and Priyanka >Chopra their envied figures. > >Since then, some slimming and beauty clinics in >Kolkata have been telling their customers to think >before popping that pill. "We generally don't >prescribe slimming drugs or pills, and if clients want >to use them, they do it at their own risk," said an >official at the Body Care Slimming and Beauty Clinic >here.

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