With obesity developing into a massive cause for concern and the rising pressure to emulate stars that flaunt their slim bodies, the public are becoming more tolerant of unusual methods for losing weight. An example of the most unusual methods we’ve heard of is the eating of roundworms for lower body-fat.
As awful as this is, weight conscious citizens of Hong Kong have decided to eat giant intestinal roundworms that go by the name of Ascaris worms, in a bid to shed some weight.
The idea behind this unusual weight loss trend is that roundworms are parasites which lurk in the stomach and survive on the host’s food supply, in theory reducing the number of calories ingested by the host which should lead to a weight reduction.
Usually, roundworms are contracted through the host eating infested meat or fish or when humans drink from tainted water supplies. Intestinal worms are commonly found in third world countries.
These parasites will grow in size to an extraordinary forty centimetres inside the body and these parasites can also lay a huge amount of eggs daily. Adverse reactions to these worms are extremely awful and may include:
* Malnutrition
* Vomiting
* Abdominal pain
* Lung invasion
* Pancreatic duct obstruction
Unfortunately, lung invasion and pancreatic duct obstruction can be fatal and is a high price to pay just to lose a few pounds. Another way that these parasites are bad for your health is that worms not only take calories from the host, but also valuable nutrients from the food that is being digested. Because of this the unlucky host is deprived of valuable nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Also, the parasite may release nasty toxins ,which may be dangerous for the body and will need to be removed by the body, which will result in the need for the body to work even harder.
Intestinal worms are also very difficult to get rid of. The host may have to take Anti-parasitic medicines or herbs to rid the body of the infestation and to help the digestive system work normally again .
The gimmick has become so popular, that the nation’s government has given several warnings concerning the practice. Furthermore, the Department of Health in Hong Kong has made clear that it is opposing this method of reducing weight and claims that weight loss pills that are based on parasites have not been proven to be effective.
This concern follows comparable statements made in 2008, when a few weight loss plans were mentioned in the media which presented the sale of worm eggs for the purpose of weight loss.
Readers are urged to not even think about utilizing worms as a method of losing weight threat of ill health. Alternatively, a healthy diet and frequent exercise must always be the best choice for dieters.
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