The Health Authority in Abu Dhabi has warned against the use of an unauthorized “slimming coffee,” called “Lishou slimming 3 in instant coffee,” recently promoted by people on social media.

In a circular, the authority said that the results of laboratory analysis of the beverage proved that it contains a banned substance, undeclared, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, pointing out that the product is not authorized to sell in the UAE.

She called on the public and health care practitioners to report any complaint regarding the quality of medical products, stressing that the products included in the list of weight-loss products adulterated, received warnings to prevent them from local authorities, including the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, the Zayed Complex for Herbs and the Department of Municipal Affairs In Abu Dhabi, as well as the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the Food and Drug Administration, the Therapeutic Products Administration of Australia and the British Medicines Agency.

The Slimming Coffee is one of 444 adulterated products for weight loss identified by the Authority in previous circulars.