HEALTH

More and more companies have been tapping into social media to market their "shortcut to skinny" products to girls like you. It-girl celebrities from Vanessa Hudgens to Alexis Ren have been spotted on Insta promoting a variety of #ad worthy products like waist trianers and detox teas promising slimmer waists and more toned abs without a trip to the gym.

When supermodels with perfectly tanned bodies, perfect smiles and glamorous lives tout these products it's hard not to believe that it must be the real deal. I mean why would Kylie Jenner lie to us? The reality is more often than not these quick fit fixes lack medical basis and in some instances can be harmful to your body. Before you get caught in the scam, we've put together a list debunking the top three popular health fads that you need to know about before you hand over mom's credit card number.  

 

1. Detox tea
What it does: The intent of brands like Bootea, Skinny Teatox and MateFit is essentially to get skinny by detoxing. The herbs in the tea are supposed to cleanse your digestive system making it easier to metabolize food and ultimtately lose weight. 

Why it doesn't work: Teatoxing will make you lose weight but not because of the effectiveness of the cleanse, but rather becasue drinking tea and not eating enough will limit the nutrients being supplied to the body. This can be extremely unhealthy and detrimental to your health.

Many of these teas also contain laxatives which will esentially make you have to go to the bathroom, and go a lot. It mimics the feeling of being lighter and cleaner becasue your intenstines have been completely emptied. There are much cheaper and safer ways to do a detox like juicing or other homemade remedies. Save your money, don't fall for the teatox.  

 

2. Waist trainers
What it does: Waist trainers are supposed to get you that hourglass shape with a corset that is meant to make your waist smaller. Some waist trainer companies even clam that they can help you lose weight, reduce inches on your waist, release toxins and reduce food intake. 

Why it doesn't work: Waist trainers can be harmful by compressing internal organs to fit an unatural mold. This can cause problems like malfunction of your intestines, stomach, diaphragm and other serious heath concerns. When worn during your workout, waist trainers make you sweat like crazy because they squeeze together the lungs making it harder to breathe and when you sweat more you lose water weight. People often confuse this water weight loss for body fat loss so they're tricked into believing that waist trainers are effective. Stick to your normal ab workout: It's a lot safer and heck of a lot more effective. 

 

3. Teeth whitening kits
What it does: These handheld teeth whitening kits use a gel and LED light that will supposedly make your smile brighter. Customers are advised to use it three times a day for at least two weeks but should see a difference in a matter of days.

Why it doesn't work:  A number of major celebrities have been seen doning perfectly white teeth with kits like the Smile Express Atlanta in hand. It might be advertised as their "secret to a white smile" but these high paid celebrities pay by the thousands to keep their smiles looking bright. Relying on a $50 plastic kit with a light and a tube of gel for their everyday needs just seems to good to be true.

Reviews from customers have said that it can be painful to use for those with sensitive teeth and can be very harmful to enamel. Unfortunately the pain does not in fact reward you with worthy results as most people stated that they had not seen a difference in the whiteness in their smile even after using it for more than two weeks. So if you want brighter teeth, talk to your dentist or snag some whitening toothpaste, instead.

Have you gotten duped by a health fad scam? Tell us about your experience below!

We want to hear from you! Send us your weirdest body questions here (seriously, we'll answer anything!) and it just might get featured.

by Karlyn Sykes | 7/1/2017