Tapeworm to Lose Weight ?

[Hum]

Michael Mosley, a British journalist and physician who is famous for subjecting himself to physical stunts in the name of science, decided to find out whether the tapeworm diet actually works. His stomach-turning experiment was documented as part of an upcoming program called Infested! Living With Parasites that will air on the BBC in February.

Tapeworms are parasites that can be accidentally ingested by eating undercooked, infected beef or pork. They can grow to be 50 feet long and live for 20 years inside their host. Mosley said his wife, also a medical doctor, wasn't thrilled with him becoming a human guinea pig. "But I told her not to worry?this particular tapeworm is relatively innocuous," he told the BBC. Mosley consumed beef tapeworm, which is less dangerous than pork. It's also not infectious between humans, so there was no risk of passing it on. Some cases of infection are asymptomatic, but typical signs include nausea, diarrhea, bloating, and even, in severe cases, blindness, brain damage, and death. "That's the tricky thing about tapeworms," microbiologist Mary Pitcher, PhD, explained to Yahoo Shine. "They like to travel around the body, to the brain, for instance." Mosley was under medical supervision; obviously, no one should try this experiment at home.

Mosley kept a food diary during the six-week trial and noticed that he had been eating more carbohydrates, especially sugar and chocolate. When he weighed himself, contrary to myth, he had gained about 2 pounds. Tapeworms live off nutrients consumed by their hosts, especially carbs, which could account for his cravings. They also digest far fewer calories than a human or animal eats, so any weight loss associated with an infection would more likely be the result of vomiting or diarrhea. Mosley's intestinal visitors were killed off by medication, and fortunately he had no lasting symptoms.

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[macoman]

That's scary and amazing that he infested his body to experiment :huh:

[DocM]

Researchers do it rather often. One of the researcjers who figured put that H. pylori caused many/most ulcers tested the theory by infecting himself then treating it with antibiotics.