Interpol has issued a global alert over diet pills believed to have caused the death of a British woman and left a French man seriously ill.

Police in 190 countries have been issued the Orange Notice warning about 2.4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) pills after tests were carried out at a World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory in Australia, reports SkyNews.

According to ibtimes.co.uk, the Interpol statement said: "Although usually sold in yellow powder or capsule form, DNP is also available as a cream.

"Besides the intrinsic dangers of DNP, the risks associated with its use are magnified by illegal manufacturing conditions."

Eloise Parry, the 21-year-old British student died last month in hospital after consuming eight DNP pills that caused her body temperature to rise dangerously.

The highly toxic industrial chemical promises to help users shed "a pound a day" without dieting.

It burns fat by accelerating the body's metabolic rate, most times at dangerously high rates.

Four deaths in the UK and up to 60 worldwide in recent months have been attributed to DNP.

Used first during the first world war in French munitions factories, DNP was mixed with picric acid to make explosives. It was noticed that workers exposed to DNP lost weight, felt fatigue, sweated excessively and exhibited elevated body temperature.

A Stanford University study that followed in 1933 reported that a 50% rise in metabolism was seen in patients taking the chemical.

Side-effects included being "cooked to death" with a temperature of 43.3C following high doses, according to The Guardian.

Several diet drugs have been associated with serious heart problems and other health-related issues.