Mother of bodybuilder, who died at 20 from effects of banned weight-loss substance, questions how he got illicit drug
The mother of a 20-year-old bodybuilder who died from the banned weight-loss drug dinitrophenol is questioning how he obtained the substance. Despite a coroner's inquiry, police were unable to trace the source of the illicit drug.
Why it matters
It highlights the dangers of illicit performance-enhancing substances and the difficulty authorities face in regulating their distribution.
The state coroner found that the youth had probably taken dinitrophenol, which can only be obtained illicitly in Singapore.
A view of the State Courts building in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Ili Mansor)
Davina Tham 16 Oct 2026 08:42PM Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a new cards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST SINGAPORE: The mother of a 20-year-old competitive bodybuilder, who died from the toxic effects of a banned weight-loss drug , raised questions about how her son obtained the illicit substance at the conclusion of a coroner's inquiry on Friday (Oct 16).
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