Diet Advice. Parasitic Worm Diet Dangerous to Health
The title of this article seems to be pretty obvious to most people. However, this is a real diet fad that has been sweeping parts of Asia, including Hong Kong. Doctors and health authorities are working hard to dissuade people from selecting this option as the parasitic roundworms being used can cause very serious side effects.
Roundworms are an intestinal parasite that can cause weight loss in human hosts, which is clearly the attraction for these new fad dieters. However, what these people may not be aware of is the risk to their health that these worms can have. Typically, roundworm ingestion can result in minor negative health effects such as stomach and intestinal pain, nausea, diarrhea and malnutrition requiring simple medication to purge the parasites. For this reason, it is easy to see that some individuals might be tempted to intentionally ingest the parasite in order to trade these minor health concerns for a fast and passive weight loss solution.
These seemingly minor health concerns can, however, lead to much more pressing health issues as malnutrition in particular can weaken the body’s immune system making it more susceptible to other forms of infection.
Furthermore, believing that this solution does not come without its side effects is a big mistake; as with any radical new concept, there is the potential for things to go horribly wrong. Roundworm parasites can cause far more serious health concerns than those already listed, which on their own are bad enough. The more serious health concerns to be concerned about include intestinal blockage, pancreatic duct blockage and lung, liver, brain and eye infestations.
Intestinal blockage alone is a very serious health issue that can prove fatal in humans if it is not dealt with immediately. Pancreatic duct blockage is another serious health risk, with potential fatal complications. It goes without saying that parasites in the lungs, liver and brain are also extremely serious and that blindness is a potential outcome of eye infestations. Now if this list of potential complications doesn’t deter people from willfully ingesting the parasites then I don’t think anything will.
All too often these kinds of extreme measures for weight-loss result in serious health effect or an elevated risk of harm. Let’s just put this latest ill-advisable diet in the context of other failed fad-diets and weight-loss plans now known to be harmful with the 20/20 vision that hindsight offers.
To begin with there are the supplements and pills. Diuretics and laxatives have been used for a long time now but do not actually cause fat loss, which is what most people mean when they state their goal as weight-loss. Instead you simply lose water, which dehydrates you and can cause serious health effects such as electrolyte deficiency and kidney damage, and let’s not forget, death. Laxatives also cause long term users to retain water, effectively negating their use. It’s a bit like drinking coffee to function; eventually it does nothing you only consume it to prevent from crashing.
Overly restrictive diets in terms of what you can and cannot eat are another good example of crazy fad diets. While some people may claim that the Atkins diet fits into this category the jury is still out. What does qualify, however, is the cabbage soup diet. That’s right, nothing but cabbage soup. As a serious food lover, I have to ask myself if losing the weight would really be worth eating only cabbage soup. It goes without saying that this diet is seriously lacking in nutrients and sources of protein and fat, which our bodies do actually require to function healthily. Expect anemia and malnutrition.
Next there are the drugs, and in this case I am referring to ephedra extract, a traditional Chinese remedy concentrated into pill form. Ephedra seemed great at causing weight loss except for the fact that it does so by stimulating an amphetamine like reaction in the body which can cause serious and irreversible heart damage and in extreme cases, death, particularly following excessive use.
Interestingly with regards to this article’s topic, the website Toptenz.net rates a list of its chosen top ten most unhealthy fad diets. What comes out on top as the most ludicrous diet? A 1900’s-1920’s diet involving the deliberate ingestion of tapeworm eggs contained in capsules. Sound familiar? Interesting, I find, that they tried it, and ditched it 90 years ago!
So, to all the more gullable would be dieters out there, take a moment to consider the fact that charlatans and witch-doctors are still very active today and will stop at nothing to rob you of your money while feeding you parasitic roundworms and preying on your insecurities. Use your powers of critical analysis and see this for what it really is. In the long run, portion control, healthy eating practices and regular activity/exercise are always going to come out on top.
