Can you lose weight with laxatives?
Anyone wondering whether laxatives are suitable for losing weight first needs to know how and where the substances act in the body.
What laxatives do in the body
Laxatives exert their effect through different mechanisms. For example, some ensure that water is retained inside the intestine instead of being absorbed through the intestinal wall (e.g. lactulose, Epsom salts, macrogol, bisacodyl) or that more water and salts are released into the intestine (e.g. bisacodyl, sodium picosulfate, anthraquinones from senna leaves or alder bark). Both make the stool softer and more slippery, so it can be passed more easily.
Other laxatives stimulate the movements of the bowel, i.e. intestinal peristalsis (e.g. castor oil, anthraquinones from senna leaves or alder bark). The stool is thus transported more quickly towards the exit.
Why losing weight with laxatives does not work
No matter what mechanism of action laxatives use, they exert their effect primarily in the large intestine. By the time the food arrives there, however, the absorption of fats, carbohydrates and other nutrients is practically complete. This takes place almost exclusively in the small intestine – i.e. one station before the large intestine.
Laxatives for weight loss – the risks
True weight loss through laxatives is therefore not possible. Even more, the attempt involves health risks:
For example, regular use of laxatives to lose weight or for other reasons (such as chronic constipation) can dangerously upset the water and electrolyte balance. This is because most laxatives cause the body to lose a lot of fluid and salts, especially potassium and magnesium. This can result in constipation and cardiac arrhythmias, among other things. In the worst case, it can even cause kidney failure (renal failure) or intestinal paralysis (paralytic ileus).
In addition, the misuse of some laxatives (for weight loss, eating disorders, etc.) can be addictive: Repeated use causes the bowel to become increasingly sluggish. At some point, it can no longer empty on its own, but only with the help of increasing doses of laxatives – a vicious circle.
Conclusion
Do not take laxatives to lose weight! The benefits are illusory, and the risks should not be underestimated.
Instead, they sometimes contain undeclared synthetic drugs in a pharmacologically effective dosage or even in an overdose – for example, phenolphthalein. This substance used to be used as a laxative, but then was withdrawn from the market due to serious side effects (such as pulmonary edema, cerebral edema, kidney damage, etc.).
What really helps to lose weight
So if you really want to get rid of fat deposits, it is best to do without laxatives. To lose weight, it is not enough to drink any teas or swallow capsules. Instead, you have to be active: For healthy and lasting weight loss, there is no getting around a change in diet and regular exercise. You can read more about this here.
