Every woman dreams of having a slim figure, and some would do whatever it takes to reach their goal, even if it means putting their health at risk.
A woman in China did irreparable damage to her brain following a drastic weight-loss program which saw her consuming nothing but water for half a month.
Drank only water
According to Sin Chew Daily, the woman is about 160cm tall and originally weighed 70kg. However, she wanted to lose weight.
To do so, she chose to undergo a regiment which would see her surviving on nothing but water for nearly half a month.
Unable to walk properly
While she managed to decrease her body weight by 20kg, the woman began noticing some “red flags”, such as a sharp decline in memory and finding herself unable to walk straight, where she’d often find herself “waddling like a penguin”.
When she headed to the hospital for a medical examination, doctors found that she had developed Wernicke’s encephalopathy, a severe brain disorder caused by vitamin B1 deficiency.
According to doctors, vitamin B1 is an essential nutrient for the brain’s energy metabolism and cannot be produced by the human body. As such, it must be obtained through food.
Due to limited storage of vitamin B1 in the body, prolonged fasting periods can quickly deplete those reserves and potentially cause damage to nerve cells in the brain.
What are the symptoms?
Aside from a decline in memory and unsteady walking, other symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy include:
- Confusion (delirium)
- Hypothermia
- Double vision
- Eye muscle paralysis or weakness
- Heart issues, including rapid heartbeat (tachycardia) or low blood pressure (hypotension)
Doctors also warned that weight lost rapidly over a short period is not necessarily all body fat as it also includes significant amounts of water and muscle.
Thus, prolonged extreme dieting may lower the body’s basal metabolic rate, making it much easier to regain weight after returning to a normal diet.
Given this, the safest and most effective method to losing weight is having a balanced diet and exercising regularly.
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