How Crash Diets Affect Your Heart, Body

Physical exhaustion, diminished productivity and cognitive abilities are often associated with substantial weight loss, accompanied by persistent discomfort that can also affect one's mood, warns Dr Smruti Hindaria.

• Health-related questions? Ask Rediff's Health Gurus HERE.

January is the month of New Year resolutions.

We all want to prioritise our well being, look good and get in shape.

Needless to say, dieting and losing weight seems to be top agenda among millennials and GenZers.

Unfortunately, one of the easiest ways to lose weight quickly, according to many, is to go on a crash diet.

What is a crash diet?

When you start consuming less food than your body requires, you crash your diet leading to an instant drop in weight.

While this shedding of kilos may thrill you, beware of the long term consequences. 

What happens to your body when you go on a crash diet?

Engaging in crash diets may lead to an irregular heartbeat.

When you are impatient in your effort to achieve weight loss, you may deprive the body of essential nutrients.

Liquid or severely calorie-restricted diets pose significant risks, potentially resulting in conditions like arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), cardiac muscle loss and overall heart problems due to poor nutrition.

Besides fat loss, muscle mass is also reduced during weight loss, contributing to a decline in metabolic rate and an imbalance in the fat-to-muscle ratio.

This loss of muscle strength can make everyday tasks more challenging, impacting overall life quality despite a lower reading on the weighing scale.

Disrupting the balance of electrolytes, crucial for various bodily functions, can have serious consequences such as seizures and irregular heartbeats.

Electrolytes play a vital role in cell integrity and proper function; any disturbance in their ratio can quickly affect the body's overall health.

Drastically cutting weight can result in nutritional deficiencies, depriving the body of essential nutrients needed for its optimal functioning.

Deficiencies in key nutrients like calcium and vitamin D may lead to increased vulnerability to health issues such as anaemia, characterised by weakness and fainting episodes due to insufficient iron intake.

Gallstones, causing intense pain and discomfort, may develop alongside indigestion when digestive fluids in the gallbladder are not released due to insufficient food for digestion.

Solidified liquids can block the gallbladder's opening, resulting in indigestion and subsequent pain.

A significant drop in energy levels is a common consequence of both consuming too few or too many calories during the weight loss process.

Physical exhaustion, diminished productivity and cognitive abilities are often associated with substantial weight loss, accompanied by persistent discomfort that can also affect one's mood.

• Health-related questions? Ask Rediff's Health Gurus HERE.

Dr Smruti Hindaria is a consultant cardiac surgeon at Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune.

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