Updated

Southern California authorities launched an “inquiry” into “The Biggest Loser” and doping allegations connected to the long-running NBC show, authorities said Tuesday.

“Loser” has been under fire since The Post published interviews with former contestants in May, accusing producers of abuse and of feeding them drugs to manipulate results of the weight-loss reality hit.

“What we’re doing is an inquiry into what’s happening on ‘The Biggest Loser,’” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Kelvin Moody told The Post. “It’s an ‘inquiry,’ not a full-blown investigation.”

Deputies are looking for formal statements from contestants before deciding whether to delve deeper into show practices.

Season 2 contestant Suzanne Mendonca said five people on her edition of the show were rushed to the hospital due to alleged abuse from show trainers and medical staff.

Joelle Gwynn, from the 2008 “Couples” version of “Loser,” said she was directed to take ephedra, a drug used to boost weight loss and energy that was banned by the FDA in 2004.

The show issued a statement saying, “We believe these allegations are without merit and false. The safety and well-being of our contestants is, and has always been, paramount.”

Click for more from the New York Post.