Laxatives and weight loss - should you take laxatives to lose weight? The short answer, no. Laxatives and weight loss don’t mix. Most of the weight lost when using laxatives and weight loss is water and the health dangers can be significant.
Laxatives are often abused by people who have eating disorders. Taking laxatives like this on a regular basis is extremely bad for your bowel and intestines. Laxatives are meant to be taken when the bowel full and cannot be emptied natually, but if laxatives are taken when the bowel is not in this state mostly water is flushed out.
Taking laxatives for weight loss will lead to low water levels in the body which will cause water retention. This water retention will lead to heavy bloating. This will often cause the individual to take more laxatives to lose more weight. This is a very dangerous cycle to get into.
So basically, laxatives and weight loss don’t mix - you should definately no use laxatives for weight loss or control. Repetitive use of laxatives will result in water retention, bloating and stomach cramps. Here are 10 reasons why laxatives and weight loss don’t mix.
10 reasons why laxatives and weight loss don’t mix:
- You do not burn fat with laxatives, you lose mostly water weight.
- Laxatives cause water retention, so no weight loss is visible.
- Repetitive use can have long term side effects.
- If taken over a prolonged period, laxatives can be be addictive and withdrawal symptoms may be felt if you stop taking them.
- Your body may become dependant on laxatives to control your bowel movements.
- Laxatives can interfere with other medicines, making them less effects and possibly causing side effects.
- Laxatives and weight loss is not a long term solution to weight control.
- Prolonged use may lead to Kidney damage and possible failure
- Laxatives and enemas strip away protective mucus that lines the colon, leaving it vulnerable to infection.
- Laxatives abusers seem to have more trouble with the following problems than do nonusers: irritable bowel syndrome (rectal pain, gas, and episodes of constipation and diarrhea) and bowel tumors (both benign and cancerous)
To sum things up, laxatives and weight loss do not mix. Your best approach to losing weight is good old fashioned diet and exercise.
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