A 22-year-old girl from Changchun weighs only 22 kilograms. It is very dangerous to lose weight in this way.

In early November, the Department of Psychology of Changchun No. 6 Hospital welcomed a special female patient. She had sunken cheeks and was extremely skinny. She was 158cm tall but weighed only 22kg. Moreover, the girl also had a serious eating disorder and was later diagnosed with anorexia nervosa by a doctor.

The reason why the girl became like this was because she had been particularly worried about her weight gain for many years and had been too strict in controlling her weight. In order to avoid weight gain, she frequently induced vomiting after eating, and gradually developed various adverse symptoms, and her weight became lighter and lighter.

In real life, too many women control their weight too strictly for the so-called "thinness is beauty", and vomiting has become a common method of weight loss.

Every time after enjoying the delicious food, he would use his hands or tools such as a spoon to forcefully stimulate his throat to induce vomiting.

Although this method can help people "lose weight successfully", the harm it causes is huge. What happened to those who vomited to lose weight?

In this article, let’s talk about the dangers of vomiting to lose weight.

1. Malnutrition

Vomiting to lose weight is to artificially empty the stomach, so that the food eaten is vomited out before it is digested and absorbed. Although this operation reduces energy intake, it also reduces the nutritional intake of food. If it is continued for a long time, it will cause malnutrition.

The Changchun girl in the news had low blood pressure, blood lipids, thyroid function, ion and other indicators due to long-term vomiting, which had reached critical levels and her life might be in danger at any time.

Long-term malnutrition can cause many abnormalities and discomfort in the body, such as:

① Constipation: A certain amount of food residue must be accumulated before defecation to feel the urge to defecate. Long-term intake of very little food cannot stimulate the urge to defecate. The food residue that reaches the large intestine first will be absorbed by the large intestine and cannot be discharged. It will become dry and hard in the large intestine, which will cause constipation over time.

② Hair loss: Lack of protein, minerals such as iron, zinc, and B vitamins can cause hair loss.

③ Amenorrhea: When women diet for a long time to lose weight, their bodies will feel a sense of crisis and shut down their reproductive functions to protect themselves, thus causing amenorrhea. It may take a year or two for menstruation to return.

④ Bad breath: Long-term dieting to lose weight, especially when the intake of carbohydrates is very low, the body will produce ketone bodies, resulting in symptoms of bad breath and may also lead to ketoacidosis.

⑤ Slow wound healing: Lack of nutrients such as protein and vitamin C will affect skin quality. If it gets on your hands, it will also affect wound healing.

2. Electrolyte imbalance

Long-term vomiting and weight loss may cause electrolyte imbalance and hypokalemia, and symptoms such as muscle weakness, nausea, vomiting, and increased heart rate may occur, which may be life-threatening in severe cases.

3. Damage to the esophagus

Prolonged vomiting can cause digestive system disorders, and the reflux of gastric acid during vomiting can damage the esophagus and vocal cords, causing the voice to become hoarse.

The pH of gastric acid is 0.9-1.5, and 1.5-2.5L of gastric acid is secreted every day, which is a highly acidic liquid. [1] When gastric acid refluxes into the esophagus, it irritates the esophagus and produces a burning sensation, which is commonly known as "heartburn."

Frequent vomiting will cause gastric acid to corrode the esophageal mucosa frequently, increasing the risk of esophageal cancer.

4. Teeth deteriorate. I remember reading a self-report from a woman who had frequent vomiting. She said that because of frequent vomiting, all her teeth were rotten. Indeed, vomiting can damage teeth and make them deteriorate. The reason is still "stomach acid".

This condition is also known as tooth erosion, or tooth acid erosion. It is mainly affected by two types of acid: endogenous (gastric acid) and exogenous (food). [2] Vomiting is endogenous acid. When food is vomited out, gastric acid will also come into contact with the teeth, thus corroding the teeth.

In severe cases, not only will gingivitis and gum recession occur, but the teeth may even fall out...

▲The pictures may cause discomfort

5. Psychological problems Most people will develop psychological problems due to vomiting to lose weight, such as overeating, not stopping until the food is full, feeling guilty about eating, insomnia, irritability, anxiety and depression...

Some people may develop anorexia nervosa due to frequent vomiting, which is a type of eating disorder.

Just like the Changchun girl in the news, she developed anorexia nervosa because of her intense fear of weight gain, fear of getting fat, and frequent vomiting.

With the doctor's psychological counseling, she developed a strong desire to survive. Although it was painful to eat, the desire to survive supported her to reluctantly eat liquid food. Because she was too thin, it was also very painful to infuse nutrient solution intravenously. The attending physician encouraged her to persevere and promised her that if she weighed 30 kilograms, he would give her a small gift. She immediately became happy again.

Summarize:

Vomiting to lose weight is very harmful. At the very least, it may harm your health, and at the worst, it may be fatal. Don't try it!

For the sake of your health, I advise those who are trying to lose weight not to try to induce vomiting! In addition, vomiting is accompanied by an unpleasant odor, which many people cannot stand.

References:

[1] Gu Jingfan, Du Shouyin, Guo Changjiang. Modern Clinical Nutrition, 2nd Edition[M]. Science and Technology Press, 2009

[2] Wang Gengru. The relationship between dental erosion and gastroesophageal reflux disease and the mechanism of action of reflux on dentin[D]. Shandong University, 2011

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