Using Laxatives to Lose Weight? - Get the Facts About Laxatives and Weight Loss First

There is one popular weight loss supplement on the market these days that comes in the form of a tea. A slimming tea, a Dieter's tea... you name it.

Many people are drinking this diet tea and say it does help them lose undesired pounds. It does seem to be effective, but no one talks about what this tea actually does and the potential harm it can have on your health.

One of the effects of drinking a diet tea is frequent bowel movement. Slimming tea contains herbs that act as natural laxatives. Some of these herbs can be; Aloe. Senna, Rhubarb, Cascara, Buckthorn and Castor oil. These are herbal ingredients that are well known for their ability to treat constipation. People using these teas may feel as if they are cleansing their body of toxins by have frequent bowel movements

Facts are that these laxatives are classified as drugs and regulated by the law.

The reason for this is that these herbs when used excessively might cause the body not to absorb nutrients from the foods eaten.

Theses laxatives work in the large intestines area and fasten the time taken for the food to go through thus casing many nutrients to go to waste instead of having the chance to get absorbed into the body.

The bottom line - the body is going to suffer from malnutrition and related health problems.

Regarding the effects laxatives may have on weight loss - Research shows that diarrhea caused by laxatives does not effect the amount of calories the body intakes, it would just make the food less nutritious.

Taking laxatives for long periods of time might even make your intestines "lazy" - unable to perform without laxatives, thus creating constipation.

People suffering from Bulimia and Anorexia Nervosa tend to use laxatives frequently as part of their condition.

Overdosing on laxatives will lead to greasy diarrhea and less fat absorbed by the body.

This could help lose weight, yet cause damage to the gastrointestinal tract and the bones as well.

These facts are well known to the medical world, yet might be overlooked as drinkers of these slimming teas may recommend it to others as a cheap and easy way to try losing weight, just because of the frequent and watery stool it causes.

Research shows that most users of diet teas are women. Yet these teas are known to interfere with the menstrual cycle and fertility.

Consulting with a responsible nutritionist or dietician you will find that the use of herbal laxative teas is discouraged even though it could help in losing a couple of pounds fast.

The worse effects of diet teas happen obviously when the tea is being used for a long period of time. In some cases the drinker might experience nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, fainting, rectal bleeding and in some cases even death.

Excess use of laxatives is certain to cause severe constipation and pain due to the colon losing his ability to function properly.

To sum up, using laxatives for a couple of days to lose 1-2 pounds is not recommended but possible. Using laxatives as a weight loss supplements - is a bad and dangerous idea.