“Eat! Eat! Eat! And always stay thin.” That’s the bold promise of a vintage advertisement, likely dating back to the late 19th or early 20th century. Was it promoting arsenic pills? Advocating chewing food only to spit it out? Both were real fad diets of the era, but no—this particular ad targeted the women with a far more unsettling proposition: eating tapeworms. Yes, the parasites.
“Fat, the enemy that is shortening your life, banished! How? With sanitized tapeworms,” it continued. This controversial and questionable weight-loss technique seems like an absurd relic of the past. But is it? It turns out, it might be a little more prevalent in 2025 than many of us would like to believe.
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Are tapeworm diets back?
It’s important to note that the 19th and 20th centuries were known for quackery. In fact, research suggests that, particularly in the 19th century, quack doctors likely outnumbered real doctors by three to one. This basically refers to individuals who claim to be a medical professional but do not have any real education in the field. The era was also a popular time for fraud, so just because jars labeled “tapeworms” were being sold, it doesn’t mean they always actually contained them.
This could be the case today; if tapeworms are purchased, they are usually bought on the unregulated dark web, so it’s difficult to know whether they are legitimate or not. That said, there have been several cases of deliberate tapeworm infections in recent years.
“Tapeworms have been marketed as a weight loss product for over 100 years, and despite the known health risks, tapeworms continue to be advertised and sold today,” reads one research paper, published in 2022 in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
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In more alarming news, according to British Glamour, new research from the Asda Online Doctor suggests that one in 40 women have tried the tapeworm diet. This could be linked to the rise of the newly popular weight loss drug Ozempic, also known as WeGovy or semaglutide, notes Lucy Morgan, the beauty magazine’s purpose editor. For many, the popularity of the drug is starting to edge out recent trends toward body neutrality or body positivity.
“The increased availability has sent shockwaves through the retired neural pathways marked ‘DIET’ in our brains,” she writes. “We forget everything we’ve ever preached about diets, quietly recalibrating our priorities around that one goal that has always eluded us: the one where we do the weight loss, the one where it actually works, the one where we’re finally thin. Suddenly, a tapeworm doesn’t sound all that extreme.”
Last year, research suggested that one in eight US adults had taken Ozempic or a similar drug. For many, this is to manage chronic conditions, like heart disease and diabetes, but for others (around two in five), it’s for weight loss reasons. But these drugs are expensive. Without insurance in the US, Ozempic costs almost $1000 a month. This could be one reason why some individuals are leaning towards other extreme options, like tapeworms.
“In a society inundated with diet culture and unrealistic body standards, many individuals feel desperate to lose weight fast. The tapeworm diet plays into the fantasy of effortless weight loss, much like other dubious weight-loss fads. However, the promise of eating whatever you want without gaining weight comes with serious risks,” says Sapna Peruvemba, MS, RDN.
What are the risks of a tapeworm diet?
To start the tapeworm diet, individuals will usually swallow a capsule containing beef tapeworm cysticerci. The hope is that this will then grow into a tapeworm in the intestine and consume the food before the body has a chance to convert it into fat. However, there are many risks involved with swallowing a tapeworm pill. For starters, there’s no guarantee that the tapeworm will actually stay only in the intestine.
“Once tapeworm larvae enter the bloodstream, they can travel to different organs, including the brain,” Sapna Peruvemba, MS, RDN, founder of Health by Sapna told VegNews. “This condition, known as cysticercosis, can cause headaches, seizures, brain damage, and, in severe cases, death.” She adds that the larvae could also migrate to the eyes where they can cause vision problems and potentially blindness.
“Quick-fix diets, especially those involving parasites, do nothing to teach sustainable habits for long-term health.”
“Every year, approximately 50,000 people worldwide die from complications related to tapeworm infections,” adds Peruvemba, although it’s important to note that most of these people did not intentionally ingest tapeworms. Many likely contracted the parasite from undercooked meats.
And even if the tapeworm does remain in the intestine and lead to weight loss, it’s not the type of weight loss that is going to lead to meaningful health benefits, explains Peruvemba. Symptoms of tapeworm infections include abdominal pain, diarrhea, anemia, nausea, and nutritional deficiencies.
“The weight lost through malnutrition, muscle wasting, and illness is far from the sustainable and healthy kind,” Peruvemba says. “Even if a person successfully eliminates the tapeworm after achieving their goal weight, they will likely regain all of the weight once normal eating patterns resume.”
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If you want to lose weight, there’s a safer way
For those who choose to lose weight, there are safer, healthier ways to do so that don’t involve ingesting tapeworms—or following any other extreme fad diet.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that individuals aim to lose one to two pounds a week at most over a gradual period, through a combination of healthy food choices and exercise. If you want to explore different options, including medications like Ozempic, you should always first consult with a healthcare provider, who will help you figure out the best choice for you and your lifestyle.
“Unlike extreme diets that promise miraculous results, long-term weight management comes down to sustainable lifestyle choices,” says Peruvemba, who also urges individuals to adopt regular exercise habits and consult with a dietitian if needed.
“A whole-food, plant-based diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds can support healthy weight loss without the risks,” she adds. “These foods are naturally lower in caloric density while being packed with fiber, keeping you full and nourished.”
Find out more about the many benefits of consuming more whole foods here.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
