Kim Kardashian recently posted a picture to her Instagram, showing the pop culture icon enjoying a confectionery delicacy – the humble lolly pop. 

However, unlike most sugary snacks, this particular product was promoted by Kim as an appetite minimising lolly – 'They’re Appetite Suppressant Lollipops and they’re literally unreal.'

The Flat Tummy Co brand who makes the pops (and who have 1.5 million followers online) claim that 'it’s a struggle to get the time to keep that tummy flat,' and that these products will 'move some of those stubborn lbs.'

The promotion has been slammed on social media, as many feel that the product is encouraging restrictive eating.

'This disgusts me,' Irish influencer Melanie Murphy, who struggled with an eating disorder for two years, wrote on Twitter.

'Would disgust me *less* if she was broke and desperate for money to feed her kids…WHAT AM I LOOKING AT? Does this women ever read? There’s been a surge in young women being hospitalized for eating disorders! I guess a healthy balanced diet ain’t gonna pay ya'

Dr Hazel Wallace, who has a personal training qualification and a huge following as a healthy lifestyle influencer, called out the lollypop products as harmful 

'Question “babes” – how do you sleep at night knowing that you endorse and encourage food restriction and disordered eating?' she tweeted the brand. 

This isn't the first time Hazel, aka The Food Medic has called out diet products. 

The junior doctor gave followers a crash course on skinny diet teas on her Snapchat a while back. 

'Some of these detoxes are really dangerous and not healthy at all, especially some of the skinny teas,’ said Hazel'

‘Although they claim they are natural many drugs are actually from nature but it doesn’t make them naturally good for you. Your liver does the detoxing for your body you don’t need a green tea to detox,’ she advised.

Kim has since removed the image from her Instagram page.