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Trash those crash diets! © Shutterstock
A new study has confirmed fears regarding crash dieting. Researchers at Georgetown University have said that crash dieting promotes belly fat and muscle weakness. As per a report in ANI, crash dieting, in which the body weight decreases rapidly and dramatically, is more popular in women and can massively damage your heart, circulatory system and your kidneys. In an experiment conducted on rats, the researchers found that when the calorie intake wad reduced by 60 per cent, there was weight loss and changes in metabolic functions and factors including body weight, blood volume, blood pressure, heart rate and kidney function. While body weight, blood pressure and heart rate restored after resuming a normal diet, there was a higher accumulation of abdominal fat three months after crash dieting, mentioned the study published in the journal American Physiological Society (APS). Aline de Souza, the first author of the study was quoted in ANI as saying that the hormone angiotensin II was more potent in increasing the blood pressure. High blood pressure, along with an increase in body fat, spells trouble.
Crash dieting has many other dangers associated with it. It can cause back pain because your body lacks vital nutrients which leads to muscles weakness. Poor nutrition is unable to take care of muscle wear and tear. It can also cause your bones to become weak and lead to slip discs. Crash diets may also lead to headache, nausea and fatigue, according to several studies. Did you know that poor nutrition can also lead to skin problems like acne, dermatitis, balding and hyperpigmentation? A number of crash diets require you to leave out whole food groups like carbs, or fats. Some even require you to reduce the water intake. All of this means that your body doesn't get complete nutrition and this immediately affects bodily functions.
With inputs from ANI