Doctors always warn dieters to maintain a balanced diet when attempting to lose weight, but few of us really understand how important that is to our health. One young female influencer in China found that out the hard way, after developing acute pancreatitis as a result of her bland, low-fat diet. According to Chinese media, the woman almost died after restricting her diet to boiled chicken breast and vegetables for six months.
The young woman, whose name has not been disclosed by the media, documented her weight-loss journey online and was even dubbed the “self-discipline goddess” by her fans because of how dedicated she was to her goal. For almost six months, she only ate boiled chicken breast and cauliflower, with the occasional slice of boiled potato, to spice things up a bit.
The extreme diet helped the 25-year-old woman achieve her goals, but it also led her to experience negative side effects, like fatigue, weakness, and a dull complexion. Sadly, she chose to ignore the symptoms, and before long, she began experiencing abdominal cramps so intense that she had tobe rushed to the hospital.
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Tests showed that the woman’s serum amylase level was 10 times higher than normal. Amylase is an enzyme secreted by the pancreas and salivary glands that helps break down carbohydrates. The buildup of enzyme secretions in the pancreas started digesting the organ itself, and the severe inflammation resulted in acute pancreatitis.
Doctors concluded that the woman’s life-threatening condition was likely caused by her extremely low-fat diet maintained over a prolonged period. They advised peoplewanting to lose weight to eat at a calorie deficit while still maintaining a balanced diet, rather than adopting bland, extreme diets.
Although chicken breast and cauliflower are both considered healthy foods by most doctors and diet experts, they do not provide all the nutrients that the human body needs to thrive. Plus, such overly restrictive diets may seem healthy, but they can disrupt the normal secretion of digestive enzymes.
