The bizarre method involves drinking a mixture of an external-use constipation medication and sugar-free tea, with viral posts claiming it can help users lose up to 4kg in just two days, according to Shangyou News.
An alarming weight-loss trend sweeping Chinese social media has prompted urgent warnings from doctors after several people landed in hospital attempting the dangerous hack. The bizarre method involves drinking a mixture of an external-use constipation medication and sugar-free tea, with viral posts claiming it can help users lose up to 4kg in just two days, according to Shangyou News.
The trend has exploded online through videos showing influencers squeezing a glycerin enema into bottles of sugar-free tea, shaking the mixture, and drinking it. Supporters claimed the dramatic weight loss came after repeated trips to the toilet, encouraging many social media users to copy the practice despite the serious health risks.
A woman, surnamed Ma, said she tried the viral drink after noticing it tasted “slightly sweet.” However, her condition deteriorated rapidly within minutes.
“I went to the toilet once an hour. I could not sleep for the whole night,” Ma was quoted as saying.
Ma revealed she experienced severe discomfort just 30 minutes after consuming the mixture. Despite drinking warm water in an attempt to ease the pain, she later suffered relentless diarrhoea and vomiting that lasted through the night.
Medical experts say such incidents are becoming increasingly common. A major hospital in central China’s Henan province disclosed earlier this month that it had admitted numerous emergency patients who fell ill after attempting the viral slimming method.
Doctors explained that sugar-free tea already contains ingredients such as theophylline, polyphenols and tannic acid, which can trigger stomach pain and diarrhoea, particularly in people with sensitive digestive systems or those who have not eaten enough.
“If people add the glycerin enema to it, the laxative effect will be doubled. It is a ‘double blow’ to the digestive system,” the hospital said.
The hospital stressed that glycerin enemas are strictly intended for external use and must never be consumed orally, adding that there is no scientific evidence proving the mixture has any genuine weight-loss benefits.
Nutritionist Sun Hailan of Chongqing Women’s and Children’s Hospital warned that drinking a glycerin enema could cause serious digestive damage, electrolyte imbalance and injury to the intestinal lining.
“Even if your weight dropped, what you have lost is not fat, but impacted stool and plenty of water from your body,” Sun was quoted as saying.
“Once you replenish your water, you will regain weight in a short time. It is not helpful for weight loss.”
Similar cases have surfaced in China before, including a 25-year-old woman from Zhejiang province who developed acute pancreatitis after surviving on an extreme eating pattern of binge-eating once a week while barely consuming food during the remaining six days.