[Sportschosun Jang Jong-ho] A woman in her 20s in China has been diagnosed with acute pancreatitis after following an extreme weight-loss method in which she ate freely only one day a week, prompting warnings about the dangers of excessive dieting.
According to Xinmin Evening News and the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a 25-year-old woman identified as A, who lives in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, was recently rushed to a hospital and treated after an extreme diet regimen. She is 155 cm tall and previously weighed about 55 kg, but she began a strict eating plan several months ago to lose weight.
A followed a diet in which she barely ate for six days a week and maintained only a low-calorie meal plan, then ate whatever she wanted without restriction on the remaining day. Her usual meals consisted mainly of boiled vegetables, chicken breast, and low-sugar fruit, and her daily calorie intake was reportedly limited to less than 800 kcal.
On her so-called cheat day, however, she consumed high-fat, high-calorie foods all at once, including hot pot, fried chicken, spicy chicken-flavored instant noodles, milk tea, and nuts. The approach produced rapid short-term weight loss. In just one month, she lost about 7.5 kg, bringing her weight down to 47.5 kg.
But on May 14, after six days of dieting, she ate a large serving of fried chicken for lunch on her cheat day and then had two packs of spicy chicken-flavored instant noodles for dinner. Problems began later that night. She suddenly developed severe pain in her abdomen, lower back, and back, along with repeated vomiting. When the pain did not subside, she was eventually taken to the hospital.
At the hospital, she was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis and admitted for treatment.
Medical staff noted, "More young patients are coming to the hospital with acute pancreatitis after repeatedly alternating between extreme fasting and binge eating," adding, "Many people eat just one meal a day or drastically cut back on food to lose weight, but this can push pancreatic function into a dangerous state."
Experts warned that extreme dieting can cause not only pancreatitis but also a range of other health problems, including gallstones and gallbladder disease.
Earlier this year in Hubei Province, China, a 20-year-old college student who had cut out carbohydrates for several months and lost 25 kg was also reported to have undergone gallbladder removal surgery after suffering severe abdominal pain.
As extreme diets for rapid weight loss become popular among young people, reports of health problems are mounting, and calls are growing for balanced meals and gradual weight loss.
Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
