Why used to swallow parasites and eat absorbent cotton? Dangerous “diets” of the past

Everyone dreams of eating and losing weight. And this has always been the case. People did not do anything to get the perfect shape as quickly as possible, and most importantly, without much effort. We have collected the most terrible diets from the past, and gastroenterologist Ekaterina Pazenko told us what is fraught with such extreme methods of weight loss.

gastroenterologist

Proper conscious nutrition is the main trend of modern dietetics.

There are no quick ways to lose weight – all of the following methods are dangerous and can cost lives.

Byron’s vinegar diet

A questionable health experiment that originated in the 1800s is weight loss using apple cider vinegar. Adherents to this diet took one to three teaspoons of vinegar before meals, which supposedly boosted metabolism. Particularly desperate soaked in vinegar products that caused vomiting. Appetite, of course, after such a disappeared, and the weight was reduced. British poet Gordon Byron invented this method. He was very much obsessed with his appearance. Historians say that he suffered from an eating disorder and was obsessed with weight loss. The result was internal organ damage and an early death at the age of 36.

Why is it dangerous? Vinegar irritates the mucous membrane of the stomach and thins the enamel of the teeth. Such a diet can turn into brittle bones, acid reflux (backflow of stomach contents) and ulcer pain.

Gastroenterologist’s opinion: there is little scientific evidence that apple cider vinegar is effective for weight loss. In small quantities, it is likely to do much harm. But the product is very acidic and, if you drink it often or in large quantities, can cause damage to tooth enamel, gastroesophageal reflux disease, lesions of the gastric mucosa.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

Vinegar can also cause a decrease in the level of potassium in the blood, as well as interact badly with some supplements and medications.

Slimming pills with arsenic

In the XIX century, arsenic was used not only against rodents, but also to fight excess weight. In the sale then began to appear miracle drugs for weight loss, which contained a small dose of arsenic. There was no state control of pharmaceutical products at that time, so some manufacturers did not specify the composition of “magic” pills at all. The purpose of such drugs was to speed up metabolism and burn more calories. In pursuit of an ideal figure, buyers risked poisoning, liver cirrhosis and even death.

Why is it dangerous? Arsenic is a poison for the human body, which can lead to irreversible consequences. It accumulates in the lungs and liver, causes vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, severe muscle spasms.

Opinion of a gastroenterologist: medications containing arsenic, even in medicine, are rarely used, because they are very toxic.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

The only registered drug in the State Register today is arsenic trioxide, an antitumor agent, which belongs to the group of narcotic, psychotropic substances and their precursors subject to special control.

It has a huge number of side effects and should never be used even in microdoses to reduce body weight.

Solitaire Diet

In the early 1900s, it was popular to take pills that contained the larvae of parasitic solitaire tapeworms. Suppliers of dangerous capsules at that time were Asian countries. Once in the human body, the larva developed into an adult worm of 5-10 meters in size, which absorbed everything eaten by the “host”, and at the same time the nutrients necessary for the human body. The one who took these pills, lost appetite, so the weight went away quite quickly. Those who lost weight then drank “counteracting” pills, which should have reversed the effect, but this, of course, did not happen. The tapeworm took root so strongly in the body that it could only be removed surgically. After all, it is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to get rid of them.

With the sad consequences of such a diet once faced the opera diva Maria Callas, who in just a few months lost weight by 40 kg. As a result, she not only lost weight, but also lost her voice and died early – at the time of her death she was only 54 years old.

Why it’s dangerous. Such extreme weight loss can cost you your life. Parasites cause abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, weakness, loss of appetite, nutrient deficiencies, bowel obstruction, cramps and even paralysis. They can move from the digestive tract into the bloodstream, and this leads to cysts in the liver, brain and spinal cord.

Opinion of a gastroenterologist: manufacturers of drugs containing helminths promised a miracle effect – loss of up to 15 kg of body weight in 2-3 months. After getting the drug into the body helminth passed the life cycle: egg – larva – adult, which settled in the small intestine and contributed to weight loss by absorbing nutrients and vitamins. Now the realization of such preparations is officially prohibited because of the high danger.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

To reduce body weight used tapeworms (bovine and porcine chain, broad lenticle) and roundworms (ascarids), but the exact composition of the drugs is strictly classified. Probably, the tablet contained from 1 to 2 helminth eggs or up to 50 fragmented parts of the parasite, diuretics, laxatives, choleretic and even psychotropic substances. Removing helminths from the body required a lot of time, effort and repeated courses of antihelminthic drugs. The most interesting thing is that after that in most cases the body weight returned to the original weight within a few months.

In 50% of cases, patients experienced side effects, and in 5% of cases, irreversible changes developed. Among the “side effects” were salivation, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, allergic reactions, deterioration of sleep, cognitive abilities, mood changes. The drug also contained fenfluramine, a substance that reduces appetite while inducing pulmonary hypertension and acquired heart defects.

Tobacco diet

In the 1920s, appetite was suppressed by smoking, the deadly dangers of which were not known at the time. Tobacco was actively promoted at that time: for example, movie star Marlene Dietrich often posed with a cigarette, and her pictures were accompanied by cigarette packs. Let’s not talk about how ardently tobacco manufacturers advertised the dangerous diet. Their slogans read, “Grab a cigarette, not a candy bar.” It wasn’t until the early 1950s that doctors sounded the alarm about the dangers of smoking, but that did little to stop anyone.

Why is it dangerous? Nicotine suppresses appetite, but it also kills health. Smoking leads to cardiovascular disease, increases the risk of ulcers and stomach and lung cancer. The longer and more one smokes, the higher the chances of getting old – this is what scientists say. Also smokers suffer from osteoporosis, angina pectoris, chronic instructional lung disease.

Gastroenterologist’s opinion: nicotine has a diuretic effect, partly this leads to a decrease in body weight. But the question arises: are smokers really thinner than non-smokers? Some studies show that smokers weigh less than nonsmokers and are less likely to gain weight over time. Others, on the other hand, find no link between weight loss and smoking – at least among young people.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

Now there is a lot of data that tobacco smoking contributes to the accumulation of visceral fat, the formation of insulin resistance, increased risk of metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.

Even though there is still some link between nicotine and appetite suppression, the question of whether it leads to weight loss remains open.

But there are many known side effects. The main one is oncogenesis. Therefore, the benefits are much less than the risks of side effects. Even if the “thinning” effect of nicotine is proven, it will probably be used in the form of pills, patches, but not cigarettes.

The cotton ball diet

In the 2010s, meals began to be replaced with cotton balls made of pure cotton. They took absorbent cotton, dipped it in juice, cocktail or smoothie and swallowed it whole. There is no hunger, consequences for the figure too, but for health – colossal harm. The essence of the diet is to fill the stomach swollen with moisture inedible object and thereby deceive it. That is, a person creates a false sense of satiety and over time begins to lose weight, but the body in fact starves.

Why is it dangerous? Absorbent cotton can cause intestinal obstruction, because pure organic cotton is expensive, and in the store absorbent cotton added synthetic fibers – the stomach does not digest them. In the composition of absorbent cotton can be and chemicals, and this leads to poisoning. Plus cotton balls can be choked. And in general, eating inedible objects for the purpose of losing weight is a bad idea.

Opinion of a gastroenterologist: the main idea of the diet using cotton balls – to deceive the body, to create volume in the stomach without increasing calories. Such a diet is ineffective and dangerous. Especially since the lost kilograms quickly return after termination.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

Some experts believe that the use of cotton balls is not a diet, but a type of pica (craving for non-food items on a par with the use of chalk, clay, coins, etc.). Often pica causes the formation of a bezoar (foreign body in the stomach) and even intestinal obstruction.

In addition, the diet is very low-calorie, and this will sooner or later lead to a deficiency of nutrients and vitamins in the body. Treatment involves endoscopic or surgical intervention – depending on the severity.

A “lock” for the jaw

In June 2021, New Zealand inventors unveiled a creepy Dental Slim Diet Control device that keeps your mouth shut – literally. The development is a magnetic latch that intentionally fastens the patient’s teeth together. According to scientists, test participants lost about 6-7 kg in two weeks. The essence of the device is that it allows you to open the mouth only 2 mm, speech and breathing is not limited. But food intake is minimized. The good news is that the device can be removed at any time.

Why is it dangerous? Nothing is yet known about the side effects of the new device, but one thing is for sure: the desire to close your mouth on the lock may indicate an eating disorder.

Gastroenterologist’s opinion: the devicejest new and we have yet to learn about all the nuances.

Ekaterina Pazenko

gastroenterologist

It is obvious that the design disrupts speech, I do not exclude that it can lead to eating disorders. In practice, techniques that are applied through force are ineffective. Proper conscious eating is the main trend of modern dietetics.