Health authorities have warned about the water-fasting diet, which involves drinking only water and refraining from consuming other food. This diet can lead to water intoxication and even death.
On June 13, the Korea Health Promotion Institute stated, “Posts promoting weight loss through water fasting are spreading on social media and video platforms. There is a need to be cautious about inaccurate health information.”
Posts claiming that celebrities have quickly lost weight by limiting their diet to only water are becoming particularly popular among teenagers.
In response, the Institute warned, “Extreme weight loss through water fasting can cause severe harm to the body and bring about various side effects. A representative side effect is water intoxication.”
Water intoxication is a deadly condition that can lead to death, caused by a decrease in blood sodium concentration and an increase in the amount of water in cells, leading to swelling and seizures due to excessive water intake in a short period.
The institute pointed out that the weight loss achieved through a water-only diet could include muscle mass, which decreases basal metabolic rate, making it an ineffective weight loss method.
The head of the institute stressed, “Caution is needed as harmful health information, such as the water fasting diet that promotes extreme weight loss in a short period, is spreading rapidly online.”