Maigrir à tout prix : dangereux pour la santé ? | #Investigation

Weight-loss diets sell us a dream: to lose weight, to have a perfect body, effortlessly. High-protein diets, laxatives, hormones, amphetamines, miracle pills... some people are ready to do anything to lose a few extra pounds. #Investigation met with the "survivors" of these extreme diets, and their conclusion is unequivocal: they don't work. Nevertheless, some doctors prescribe highly controversial substances, such as pseudoephedrine, supposedly to make their patients lose weight, even at the risk of jeopardizing their health. An investigation by Jean-Christophe Adnet and Adrien Lasserre (first broadcast on 02/28/2024) 0:00 Losing weight at any cost: dangerous for your health? | #Investigation ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eating a balanced diet—with common sense—and engaging in physical activity is the only effective way to lose weight sustainably and safely. Yet, other methods abound on our social media: high-protein diets, amphetamines, diabetes medication, fasting, exotic herbs, laxatives… The list goes on. Some of these methods sometimes work, in the short term. Others will only cost you a few dozen or a few hundred euros. Most of the time, stopping these treatments leads to weight regain. But there's something even more serious: several of these weight-loss diets are dangerous to your health. This is the case with one treatment in particular, prescribed in our country by general practitioners. It consists of capsules containing a molecule that can cause heart problems: pseudoephedrine. This molecule, originally intended to treat the symptoms of the common cold, is being misused and administered for its supposed appetite-suppressant effect. It was by consulting online forums dedicated to weight loss that we first found mention of these appetite-suppressant capsules. On a medical advice website, participants exchange information about general practitioners who prescribe a miracle (sic) weight-loss treatment. In these conversations, some women rejoice in their significant weight loss. Others complain not only of having regained all the weight but also of experiencing side effects: hypertension, anxiety, insomnia… Several participants mention a particular medical center located in the Charleroi region. This clinic does not advertise; these women seeking to lose weight learned of it by talking to clients at hair salons or beauty parlors. One client at a hair salon testifies: "In four months, I lost 3 kg with these pills. But I felt dizzy and my heart raced." Another woman adds: "My mother took this treatment. She did lose a lot of weight, but her heart rate was 210 beats per minute, and she also had tachycardia. She was so weak she couldn't even do simple everyday tasks, like cleaning or washing dishes. She became depressed." The accounts of alarming side effects continue: "After a week of taking these capsules, I couldn't sleep anymore. I was anxious and depressed. I finally told my doctor. He was appalled by the capsules' ingredients. They contained pseudoephedrine, an antidepressant, and herbs." 🔎 Want to learn more? ▶Weight loss on prescription: the dangers of pseudoephedrine https://www.rtbf.be/article/investiga... ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 📌 Also find #Investigation on: The RTBF Info website ► https://www.rtbf.be/info/dossier/inve... Auvio ► https://www.rtbf.be/auvio/emissions/d... Facebook ►   / investigationrtbf   ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- © RTBF 2024 #loseweight #health #investigation #rtbf