By
- Geoff Herbert | gherbert@syracuse.com
Doctors are sounding the alarm about a dangerous new weight-loss trend on social media
Online videos have gone viral in recent weeks suggesting people should try to get infected with an “explosive diarrhea” parasite on purpose. “SkinnyTok” influencers have posted about trying to get “Cyclospora skinny” or going on the “diarrhea diet” for a better beach body
“Me when I heard people are losing 15 to 20 pounds from the parasite,” one TikTok user joked in a popular video as she ate a large salad. “Summer isn’t over yet.”
But cyclospora doesn’t just spread through lettuce and other produce, according to PIX11. Health experts say people can also get infected through contaminated recreational water, including pools and water parks
“It’s a fecal‑oral parasite, meaning the water was contaminated in some capacity by stool, whether that’s poor hygiene or direct exposure,” gastroenterologist Dr. Rabia de Latour of NYU Langone told the New York TV station
Cyclosporiasis symptoms can include severe diarrhea, nausea, and weight loss, as well as other health problems. The New York Post also notes that people can lose pounds due to dehydration, muscle wasting and nutrient malabsorption — not fat reduction
“If you have severe diarrhea over the course of a week, you’re going to lose a lot of fluids,” de Latour warned. “The dehydration is contributing to some of the pounds you’re seeing come off and then also just feeling awful, not having an appetite, not eating. And those are two horrible ways to ‘lose’ weight. I would not recommend that as a potential way to do so.”
Dr. Andrew Carroll, president of IntraCare in Chandler, Arizona, similarly told Fox 10 about the risks of getting infected
“Getting any kind of illness to purposely cause something like that is just a bad idea,” Carroll said. “Plus, cyclosporiasis can be deadly. There are folks ending up in the hospital for long periods of time.”
He added that infections are especially dangerous for children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems
“People who are influencers on social media, a lot of people listen to them,” Carroll told Fox 10. “There’s millions of followers for these people and even the most off-colored comment, or meant to be funny, could be considered something serious.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday that 6,707 cases in 45 states have now been confirmed by laboratories for the “explosive diarrhea” parasite that causes cyclosporasis. Another 11,500 cases are awaiting confirmation, and numbers are expected to continue rising
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that the largest outbreak of cyclospora infections has beens de Mexico. Taylor Fresh Foods, which supplies bagged salads at retail stores and produce for restaurants like Taco Bell, issued a voluntary recall earlier this month. Additional, smaller cyclospora outbreaks have been linked to parsley and cilantro in some states
Cyclosporiasis is a gastrointestinal disease caused by the microscopic parasite Cyclospora. People become infected after consuming water or food that contains the parasite
Cyclosporiasis symptoms can include watery, explosive diarrhea, as well as stomach cramps, bloating, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, body aches, low-grade fever, and a loss of appetite, according to the CDC. Illnesses are not typically life-threatening for healthy individuals and some infected people may remain asymptomatic, but if untreated symptoms can be severe and long-lasting
