kgb_ Special Agents are relentless and squeamish at times in their search for the answers to America’s questions.  And what does America want to know, you ask?  Well, today’s buzz centers on fad diets:

Is the tapeworm diet for real?

Know more:

The Tyra Show recently discussed the tapeworm diet.  As you may know, a tapeworm is an intestinal tract parasite found in animals and, at times, humans.

The premise behind the tapeworm diet is the hopes that the tapeworm will eat half the food an individual consumes and weight loss will occur as a result.

While the diet is illegal in the United States, there appears to be a thriving black market business in tapeworm eggs.

To begin the diet, a tapeworm egg is consumed.  The tapeworm attaches to the intestine and starts consuming some calories.  While there may be no symptoms related to consumption of the tapeworm, abdominal pain, diarrhea and even seizures can occur.  When one is done with the tapeworm, a drug is consumed and the tapeworm is evacuated on the toilet.

The diet is unsafe as tapeworms can become gigantic (ten feet long and over, sometimes up to 50 feet) and the things have the capacity to travel to the brain…not good.

What next?

E! Investigations:  The Tapeworm Diet

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Source:

“The Tyra Show” explores the tapeworm diet

Tyra Banks publicizes tapeworm diet