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What Are the Dangers of Crash Diets?

People desperate to lose weight often take extreme measures such as crash diets. Designed to cut out fattening foods in favor of lighter foods, crash diets drastically reduce caloric intake to less than 1,200 calories daily. While they may seem effective in helping cut fat, crash diets often do more harm than good. Rapidly losing weight can cause complications such as loss of nutrients. In addition, crash diets can slow metabolism and damage the heart.

  1. Weight Gain

    • Ironically, crash diets can make you gain weight in the long run. Most dieters eventually reach a plateau and find it harder to lose weight. Oftentimes they regain their weight during this period, along with some extra pounds. In addition, the so-called weight loss you may feel during your diet is actually your body losing water weight by burning excess glycogen, a glucose which absorbs excess bodily fluids. So in reality, you are going though a rapid weight fluctuation, commonly referred to as a "yo-yo" diet, which can cause nutrient loss. As a result, the body begins to break down muscle tissue for survival, leaving behind fatty tissue.

    Cardiac Effects

    • Crash diets harm the heart's blood vessels, causing them to rapidly shrink and tear. This can cause atherosclerosis, a condition where fatty deposits develop along your artery walls. Eventually this can block the arteries, drastically increasing your chances for a heart-attack. Atherosclerosis can also cause high-blood pressure and diabetes as well.

    Organ Damage

    • Crash diets damage your vital organs, depriving them of essential carbohydrates for daily operation. To compensate for this, the organs begin burning muscle tissue to get the energy to perform their functions. In rare instances, your body will burn the muscle tissue that makes up your organs to help your brain function. This can bring about complications such as liver failure and stroke.

    Osteoperosis

    • Taking a crash diet greatly limits your calcium intake. This can cause calcium to seep from your body's bones, making them fragile and brittle, a condition called osteoporosis. Your bones become more susceptible to breaking, especially in the hips and wrists.

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