Desperate dieters spend billions on arsenic-tainted 'cat litter' clay

28 July 2014 - 16:50 By Times LIVE
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Clay dieting is now a R35 billion industry and is used by people that want to lose weight in a short amount of time, but it may be dangerous experts say.

Fiona Nicholl desperately wanted to fit into a new dress for her friends wedding and chose to go on a radical clay diet in order to shed off some kilos.

A ‘clay cleanse’ involves either drinking clay tablets or mixing clay powder with juice. The clay swells by 12 times, stopping hunger pangs. The clay used commonly is bentonite, a super absorbent variant that comes from volcanic ash, reported Mail Online.

The same substance is used in cat litter and experts say that it can be highly toxic. The Food Standards Agency issued a warning of the dangers associated with clay after finding high levels of arsenic and lead in some of the supplements.

"Although I didn’t know much about clay, losing weight trumped any concerns. It sounded perfect as it would mean I could lose weight quickly without feeling hungry,” said Nicholl.

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