Teenage girl in hospital bed after collapsing from dangerous diet; doctors rush to save her life.
Increasingly, young women, and increasingly young men, are taking up intense weight-loss regimens: daily exercise and fad diets, the aim being swift results.
Health professionals still warn against such radical practices, advising that what suits one individual is not necessarily suited to another and that crash diets can result in life-threatening complications.
In such a case of fad dieting, 16-year-old Mei of Hunan province was hospitalized after adhering to an extremely restrictive diet. Her only goal was to get thin enough in time to fit into a new dress for her birthday party.
To lose kilos quickly, Mei restricted herself to consuming tiny amounts of vegetables and started taking laxatives, hoping they would accelerate weight loss. This intensive regimen was followed for two weeks.
The effects soon began to take their toll on her body. Following 14 days of severe restriction, Mei felt extremely weak, lost muscle strength in her extremities, and had shortness of breath. Her condition worsened to the extent that she was rushed to the hospital by her family.
Physicians diagnosed Mei with a severe case of hypokalemia, a potassium deficiency. Left untreated, it would result in respiratory failure or cardiac arrest. Mei was on the brink of a heart attack when she went to the emergency department.
Physicians quickly began a 12-hour emergency procedure to stabilize her condition. Fortunately, Mei recovered and has since been sent home.
The medical experts have used Mei's case as a cautionary tale to urge and guide teenagers to not fall into the trap of such trends and put their lives in danger. These practices can easily turn out to be deadly.
Mei's story has pulled strong reactions on the social site 'Weibo'. A user said, 'She treated herself really badly." Another tuned in to say, "Laxatives! She's not trying to lose weight, she is trying to kill herself."
The story is a chilling reminder of the risks associated with quick-fix diets and the pressure many young people face to meet unrealistic beauty standards.
Fad Diets are often seen as a quick and easy way to lose excess weight. Teenagers fail to realize that opting for it would put them in immense harm, physically and mentally. Here is what 'fad dieting' brings with itself:
Nutritional Deficiencies: Eliminating a necessary food group deprives the body of crucial nutrients such as protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins.
Imbalanced Electrolyte: The radical diets can cause immensely low levels of potassium in the bloodstream. It leads to the disruption of heart rhythm and muscle function.
Digestive Problems: Excessive use of laxatives or detox teas destroys the digestive system, leading to chronic gut issues.
Dehydration: The Fad diets often tend to cause rapid water loss in the body, leading to a state of dehydration and fatigue.
Emotional Stress: It can lead to disordered eating habits and a poor relationship with food. Individuals practicing fad dieting are overly cautious of their weight and calorie intake, leading to stress and anxiety.
Unsustainable Outcomes: A majority of fad diets result in short-term weight loss and are followed by rapid weight regain.
