Homoeopathy doctor says fever can help you lose weight but should we rely on it? Experts reveal the truth

Digital creator and classical homoeopathy practitioner Dr Manjari Rao shared a reel on Instagram, encouraging people to remember that fevers are catabolic in nature and work to trim off excess fat. While there’s a lot of medical information floating on the internet, it is our job to verify from doctors and find out the truth. Thus, indianexpress.com spoke to clinical experts to understand whether losing weight as a result of fevers is recommended at all.

“High temperatures can make you lose weight as the body’s metabolism increases. Whenever you have a high fever, your body has to work harder in order to fight off infection and in such a case, one may end up burning more calories thus leading to weight loss,” said Dr Suchismitha Rajamanya, Lead Consultant & HOD – Internal Medicine, Aster Whitefield Hospital, Bengaluru.

She mentioned that this fat loss is always only temporary.

Why does that happen?

Rajamanya said that this happens due to an increase in the hypothalamus’ set point which controls body temperature during fever.

“The person then reacts by increasing metabolic activities of the cells increased burning of fats for energy, reducing blood flow on the skin so as to save heat and shivering so as to produce more heat energy. This results in potential weight loss through such an escalated metabolic activity,” she said.

At times, the infection causes release of cytokines and immune responses which can cause weight loss, she further added.

However, Dr Aravinda S N, Lead Consultant – Internal Medicine, Aster RV Hospital, said that high fever will not lead to weight loss as it causes dehydration, where we lose water content from the body. If weight loss is associated with fever, then we need to rule out chronic infections, he said.

Weight loss due to high fever comes with dehydration. (Getty/Thinkstock)

Is it a safe option to lose weight?

“No, it is not advisable for losing weight safely. A fever-induced weight reduction means that there is some ailment in your system; it is not really an intentional or healthy process towards the same,” said Rajamanya.

In most cases, it leads to loss of water rather than fats and the underlying disease may cause severe damage to one’s internal organs, thereby making it dangerous and unattainable way of reducing mass, she added.

According to her, weight loss due to high fever comes with dehydration, as the body loses fluids through sweating. Muscle loss can occur because the body may break down muscle tissue for energy. Nutrient deficiencies can arise if the fever reduces appetite and food intake.

“The loss of weight is happening as a result of body working overtime to fight the infection and the weight loss is a coincidental impact. It is not a linear cause and effect. The high fever can impact the functioning of important internal organs and can lead to seizures, brain hemorrhage, and paralysis,” mentioned Dr Prashant, Consultant Pediatrician, Medanta.

Both Rajamanya and Prashant agree that people with chronic illnesses, weakened immune systems, children and the elderly, should avoid this at all costs.

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