Dear Reader,

Many "diet" teas are available on the market. Some contain senna; others include aloe, cascara sagrada, and/or buckthorn. Just because these are natural ingredients doesn't mean they are safe — all of them have cathartic or laxative effects. Contrary to popular belief, laxatives do not reduce or prevent the absorption of calories from food nor do they shed fat from our bodies. They do interfere with nutrient absorption and cause losses of important electrolytes (salts, such as sodium and potassium). Drinking any of these purported diet teas may produce diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, and serious dehydration. People who have seen a weight loss on the scale from ingesting these teas immediately regain it. Why? Fluid loss accounts for the temporary weight reduction.

Your gastrointestinal tract can also become severely damaged by regular use of laxatives. The intestines contain muscles that contract to move food through the digestive system. Consistent laxative use causes the intestinal muscles to weaken; they may even lose the ability to function on their own. As a result, when some users finally stop taking laxatives, they have a harder time (no pun intended) making a bowel movement, and become constipated and bloated (and irritable). Some may even resort to returning to laxative use to relieve the constipation, thereby creating a vicious cycle. The best defense is not to become hooked on diet tea or any other type of stimulant laxative, including senna, from the very beginning.

For more details, see Laxative abuse — Any side effects? in Alice's Fitness and Nutrition archive and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's article, "Dieter's brews make tea time a dangerous affair."

Alice

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