The dangers of taking laxatives The dangers of taking laxatives to lose weight

Taking laxatives may be an easy way to reduce excess weight, but this diet is harmful to your health. Understanding that laxative abuse can be so harmful to the body, I believe many people will choose between the pros and cons of this diet.

Causes dehydration in the body

Losing weight with laxatives tends to cause electrolyte imbalance body dehydration, and they are both important for maintaining good health. Electrolytes are the salts necessary to ensure healthy muscle, nerve and brain function. Dehydration and electrolyte loss are both serious problems and may even lead to death. People with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance can become weak and have blurred vision, even coma. In severe cases, it can also lead to seizures, kidney damage or death.

Development of drug dependence

Taking laxatives to lose weight can lead to drug dependence and resistance. Long-term laxative dieting can even damage the peripheral nerves and muscle tissue of the intestinal wall, causing constipation to develop from a functional lesion to a difficult-to-treat organic constipation (intractable constipation). Once the drug is stopped, there will be difficulties in defecation, and the later the dose of the drug that can produce the effect will become more and more.

What laxatives lose is mostly water

Many people believe that taking laxatives will help them eliminate most of the food they eat. However, people who lose weight with laxatives actually lose weight in water, electrolytes and minerals, all of which are important for health. Of course, laxatives also eliminate waste and undigested fiber from the colon.

Damage to internal organs

It is important to take laxatives to lose weight that may lead to damage to internal organs. For example, the colon may be stretched and lose its normal function, or become infected with inflammation as a result. After using laxatives for a period of time, the risk of colon cancer is greatly increased. In addition, people who use laxatives for a long time have the possibility of liver damage.

Laxatives for weight loss are prone to abdominal pain and anal fissures

The principle of action of laxatives is to strongly stimulate the intestinal wall peristalsis, contraction, but because they can not participate in the formation of feces, but also can not improve the dry, hard stool, the nature of the user often appear to be "urgent and heavy" pain, and even lead to rupture of hemorrhoids, prolapse and other symptoms.

Causes diarrhea

Laxatives usually contain ingredients such as cassia, aloe and senna, which can cause strong irritation to the stomach and intestines and can easily cause diarrhea.

Colonic melanosis

Most irritating laxatives contain anthraquinone compounds, and if you consume laxatives containing these compounds for a long time, they will cause a large amount of pigment to accumulate in the human intestinal mucosa and turn the surface of the intestines black, which is called colonic melanosis. In clinical practice, it is believed that colonic nigrosis may cause colon cancer.