Former model reveals she spits up blood three years after diet supplement addiction

This is terrifying

Although your social media feed may be flooded with ads for skinny teas and detox pills - all promising to help you lose weight - the potential side-effects of these drugs are rarely discussed.

Helen Hine, a former model and thermogenic diet supplement addict, has revealed what diet pills can do to your body - and it isn’t pretty.

Despite kicking the habit three years earlier, Hine, 32, from Bridgwater in Somerset, has recently revealed on Channel 5 that she regularly spits up blood - a side-effect she believes is linked to her former addiction to weight-loss pills.

But considering the health issues the diet supplements caused the model in the past, the lasting effects aren’t surprising.

According to Helen, the supplements she relied on artificially raised her body temperature - meaning her body responded to the pills the same way it would respond to an intense gym session.

Although the diet supplements sound like the holy grail of weight loss, the pills also caused anxiety, fatigue, and dizziness - effects most likely the result of ingredients like caffeine and ephedrine, commonly found in diet supplements.

But just because the ingredients are natural does not mean they are safe.

Because the pills led to increased heart rate, among other health issues, Helen admits she ended up in the hospital about 10 times - once with a heart rate of 280bpm (beats per minute) compared to the average 60 to 100bpm, and once for kidney stones.

And yet, despite multiple warnings from her doctors, Helen continued to take the diet supplements - especially after they helped the model drop from a size eight to a size six.

Now three years clean from the diet pills, Helen has revealed the habit has caused more damage than she previously realised.

“I have been spitting blood for four years now in the mornings,” she admitted.

This, she believes, is because “the inflammation on the internal walls of my stomach might have caused a few problems,” despite seeing multiple specialists about the blood and receiving no clear diagnosis.

Moral of the story: stay away from diet supplements.

Diet Secrets and How to Lose Weight airs on Channel 5 at 8pm on Tuesday