Mary Linnen, a woman in her late 20s, had just gotten engaged and she wanted to lose some weight for the wedding. Her doctor prescribed a combination of drugs called Fen-Phen. And it worked instantly. She lost weight but then she also started to lose her breath a lot. Other agonising symptoms soon followed including swelling of legs and stomach. Mary becomes one of the first Fen-Phen victims of which there are thousands. Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen discuss the extreme lengths and risks that people are willing to take to be thin and the industry that profits from fatphobia. CREDITS
Presenters: Dr Julia Shaw and Sofie Hagen
Producer: Louisa Field
Assistant Producer: Simona Rata
Editor: Rami Tzabar
Music: Matt Chandler
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland#BadPeople_BBCBad People is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.

Bad People

51. Fen-Phen Scandal: What would you risk to be thin?

Murderers. Fraudsters. Internet trolls. This is a podcast about people who do terrible things, and the science of humanity’s dark side.Series producer: Louisa Field 
Artwork: Kingsley Nebechi 
Music: Matt Chandler 
Editors: Anna Lacey and Martin Smith
Academic Consultants for The Open University: 
Dr Ailsa Strathie
Dr Sarah Laurence
Commissioning Assistant Producer: Adam Eland 
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
 
Bad People is produced in partnership with The Open University and is a BBC Audio Science Production for BBC Sounds.