Crash-dieting holds slim chances for perfect health, say medicos

Mumbai, May 20 (UNI) As youngsters nowadays yearn more and more for achieving that perfect 'Greek-god body' by imitating Bollywood actors, medicos have warned that crash-dieting without expert guidance can actually lead to tuberculosis and psychological disorders.

Medical practitioner, Dr Suhas Pingle, points out there is tuberculosis bacilli present in a dormant stage in our body and other bacteria also enter the body. When a person does crash- dieting without any qualified guidance, there is a risk of this dormant bacilli getting active, he explained while talking to UNI.

A normal person needs a minimum of 800 to 900 calories a day and a healthy person requires 40 per cent protein, 40 per cent carbohydrate and 20 per cent fat, apart from other nutrients like B Complex.

''When people do severe dieting, this system goes for a toss.

Also we have a very bad habit of spitting anywhere and everywhere and coughing without covering our mouth. When your immunity is low, because of deficiency, you fall prey to infections.'' This fad for dieting, by having wrong role models, is doing more harm than good, he says. Nowadays, teenagers have this misconception that if you show your collar bone you are thin. They don't realise that if they lose immunity, they will be prone to serious diseases.

Says city-based psychiatrist Dr Vani Ganesh, ''Today as youngsters are exposed to more visuals, they try to emulate models and want to have bodies like Aishwarya Rai or Barbie dolls.'' Dr Vani says, ''Cases of anorexia are found among people in higher socio-economic strata where people are conscious of their figures and diet. My advice to youngsters is that let your idols live in their own fairyland and you live in your own land.'' MORE UNI