In a shocking case of body image obsession turning life-threatening, a 16-year-old girl from China nearly lost her life after following a dangerously restrictive diet for two weeks just to fit into a birthday dress. As per reports, the teenager, identified only as Mei, consumed only small portions of vegetables and relied heavily on laxatives during her crash diet.
Her health spiralled rapidly, culminating in sudden muscle weakness and difficulty breathing, which prompted her family to rush her to the hospital.
Severe Potassium Drop Led to Near-Collapse
As per reports, doctors at Hunan People’s Hospital revealed that Mei had developed a critical case of hypokalaemia, a severe potassium deficiency, that could have led to respiratory failure or sudden cardiac arrest. “Her blood potassium levels were dangerously low,” said Dr Peng Min, who oversaw her care. Mei had to undergo a 12-hour emergency medical procedure to stabilise her condition and save her life.
Hypokalaemia, as Dr Peng explained, is commonly triggered by unbalanced diets and dehydration. A second doctor from a different hospital, surnamed Li, echoed this, adding that extreme dieting methods like laxative abuse and inadequate nutrition can rapidly deplete the body’s potassium levels.
Dr Peng also advised the public to eat potassium-rich foods like bananas, potatoes and chicken, and to maintain proper hydration as a safeguard against such dangerous deficiencies.
Teen Recovers, Vows to Never Diet Again
Following intensive treatment, Mei has now fully recovered and has been discharged from hospital. According to reports, she admitted to doctors that she would never again resort to extreme methods to lose weight.
Unfortunately, Mei’s story is not an isolated one. In China, similar cases have been reported in recent years, including a 26-year-old man hospitalised after overdoing intermittent fasting and a 38-year-old woman who landed in hospital with water intoxication after drinking 4,000 ml of salt water in one go.
