Cara Reynolds Raspberry - A 24-year-old Edinburgh health worker has died after overdosing on a popular slimming pill endorsed by celebrities.
"I held my only daughter in my arms and before she became unresponsive she kept telling me she had made a mistake and that she didn't want to die," Mr. Michael Reynolds, the deceased dad said.
According to local sources, the deceased Cara Reynolds started taking Forza's raspberry ketone supplements to help her lose weight. Reynolds is said to have bought the pills, which is allegedly made of natural ingredients, at Amazon for $38.
Reports indicate that after a terrible split with her fiance, Reynolds was upset and took an overdose of the pills. Shortly after she started experiencing seizures and vomiting, which was followed by fits. She fell unconscious before being rushed to the hospital. Medics tried to resuscitate her heart more than 40 times, but she was soon pronounced dead.
"She's broken up with her fiancé of one year and was left devastated by the rocky relationship. In a moment of madness, she'd taken an overdose because she had the ketones to hand. It was the most heartbreaking moment of my life," Mr. Reynolds said.
Medical experts say the Forza raspberry ketone supplements, which Cara Reynolds took, contains as much caffeine as 225 cans of Red Bull.
A new report from the British Medical Journal released after Ms. Reynold's death states that the high caffeine dosage caused her to fall into cardiac arrest.
The report also stressed that the tragic incident should be a wake call for authorities to strengthen tests conducted on supplements that are easily sold over the counter without prescription.
"This case report highlights the dangers of increasingly popular over-the-counter slimming pills," the reports said. "Many slimming products have concentrations of up to 250mg of caffeine per tablet which is equivalent to more than four cans of Red Bull or seven cans of Coca Cola."
"Raspberry ketones are the naturally occurring chemical compounds that give raspberries their scent. They are promoted as 'fat burners', although there is little evidence for this," the report reads. "In Cara's case, the cause of death was caffeine toxicity with a blood level of caffeine per liter which is within fatal range."
Cara Reynolds parents and family have started a petition to have the raspberry ketone pills removed from the shelves because they are dangerous. "If the ketones had not been so readily available, Cara might still be here today," Mr. Reynolds argued. "These pills are dangerous and need to be taken down by retailers."
Forza has meanwhile sent a message of condolence to the Reynolds family. The company however insists that its products have been vigorously tested and is safe. "This is a tragic and understandably upsetting situation for her family and friends, but it could have been effected through the misuse of any supplement," a Forza rep said.
"Forza products meet vigorous health and safety standards and have clear labeling and directions for sage usage. The facts surrounding this incident are not yet wholly clear, but our client entirely rejects any implications that an inherent safety issue with it products if responsible."