Should You Take Laxatives for Weight Loss?

If you're hooked on to laxatives for weight loss, beware. Laxatives essentially stimulate bowel movements. However, as laxatives appear to hasten the passage of digested food through the digestive tract and stop absorption of calories, many dieters use them to lose weight.

While laxatives may aid in weight loss, frequent or prolonged use can have a negative impact on health. As a result, if you're thinking about using laxatives to lose weight, you need to be aware of the risks.

Before getting to the use of laxatives for weight loss, let’s know them better.

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What are Laxatives?

Laxatives are chemicals that help stimulate bowel motions and loosen faeces so that they're easier to pass. They're used to treat constipation and related disorders brought on by challenging, irregular, and/or unpleasant bowel movements.

You don't just feel better, you also feel lighter and even leaner without the boulder in your stomach. It may help explain why some people think about using laxatives for weight loss.

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Is Laxatives for Weight Loss a Good Idea?

Laxatives induce bowel movement and aid in constipation. (Image via Pexels/Andres Ayrton)

If you want the answer to the question- “will laxatives help me lose weight”, the simple answer is a big no. Many wrongly believe that using laxatives can help them pass more faeces, which has led to the rise in use of laxatives for weight loss aid.

Laxatives are also thought to hasten the passage of partially digested food through the digestive system, preventing the absorption of calories and promoting weight reduction. It's a hot topic of discussion if using laxatives for weight loss is secure and efficient.

As you eat, the large intestine absorbs water and electrolytes, while the small intestine mostly absorbs nutrients, leaving the remainder to make up stool. Most laxatives treat constipation by boosting the colon's ability to absorb water, which softens the stool and makes it easier to pass

After using a laxative, most people may feel weight reduction, but that's actually the body temporarily losing water and not body fat. When you consume something, you can almost always replace that water loss.

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Potential Risks of Taking Laxatives for Weight Loss

Actual fat is left unaffected by laxatives. (Image via Pexels/Shvets Production)

Certain laxatives increase the water absorption of turds. You can poop them out more quickly as a result. Yet, when using this technique, water from other areas of the body is flushed down the toilet alongside it as well.

While you might temporarily lose weight, it will merely be water weight. Actual fat is unaffected by laxatives. Here are some potential risks associated with the use of laxatives for weight loss:

1) Dehydration

Many laxatives cause the colon to absorb water from the rest of the body. Dehydration is a very frequent side effect because of that. Dehydration can cause symptoms, such as thirst, weariness, dry skin, dizziness, or nausea. To avoid a thirst trap, it's essential to replace the fluids lost while taking laxatives.

2) Electrolytic imbalance

The electrolyte balance of the body may get disturbed if laxatives are used frequently. Electrolytes are chemicals found in bodily fluids that support your cells' normal daily operations.

Potassium is the primary electrolyte in stool water, followed by sodium and chloride. Hypokalemia, or lower-than-normal potassium levels in blood, can result from the loss of liquid faeces containing high potassium.

3) Constipation

Constipation may persist after prolonged usage of excessive laxatives, as the body develops a tolerance and dependence on them. That indicates that the body's natural ability to produce bowel motions has declined, as it has grown accustomed to responding to laxatives.

As a result, more laxatives are needed to pass faeces. The abuse of laxatives eventually results in a vicious cycle.

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The agitated symptoms of constipation may be reduced and bowel movement increased with the help of laxatives. They won't, however, aid in long-term weight loss. You can say that use of laxatives for weight loss is temporary, as this weight loss is mostly water and not fat, which can be quickly replaced after a drink.