Health experts warn people not to try Saltwater TikTok trend due to 'explosive bowel movements'

Health experts are warning people not to try the viral TikTok saltwater flush trend because it could cause explosive bowel movements.

The saltwater flush trend essentially encourages people to consume salt water as a way to “flush” out the “sludge” in their intestines.

Actually, some TikTokers claim that the practice helped them lose a vast amount of weight.

One person claimed she lost eight pounds in three hours from the cleanse.

Another TikToker named Olivia Hedlund, who goes by @liv.ingwell, said that the salt water flush goal “is to really get the sludge out of your small intestine.”

Hedlund, who also claims that she is a functional nutritional therapy practitioner, always makes sure to tell her followers to do research on their own accord and trust their bodies before they participate in a trend.

Sign upto our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

However, health professionals still believe this cleanse is not the best for people.

According to a report in the New York Post, registered dietitian Abby Sharp made a response video to Hedlund, noting that the cleanses are “very dangerous for the masses” and even called them “napalm for your bowels.”

She also called the practice “unethical” and captioned her post: “No health care professional should be giving a salt water flush tutorial — even if they preface it with a ‘do your research’ disclaimer.” Sharpe acknowledges that this method has been used as an alternative to colonoscopy preparation, but it can also be “dangerous as f***.”

She continued to note that the concentrated salt from these cleanses draws “all the water into your bowels and blasts everything in its path out the other end” — essentially giving you a really, really bad time on the toilet.”

Still, Sharp advises against trying a saltwater flush since it is unclear how it could change the balance of one’s gut microbiome.

In research published in the Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease, a weakened microbiome can lead to an increased risk of intestinal disorders.

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.