Dr Crista Tabi Arrey, a nutritionist at Yaounde's Central Hospital, in an interview, explains the phenomenon of cutting down size.

What explains the recurrent use of different slimming teas nowadays?

Most people, particularly women, go in for slimming teas because they want to look good, fit into their clothes and eat what they have around them without doing physical exercises. As such, they think the best way to lose weight is by taking slimming teas.

Are these slimming teas effective?

They may be effective if taken in a wholesome way. This means taking slimming teas and at the same time doing dieting and physical exercises. These teas come in different forms such as in teabags or capsules with differing effects and consequences. Whatever publicity is made around such products, they end up having negative effects on the body depending on the type.

What are some of the negative effects of such teas?

Slimming teas can be divided into four groups; laxatives, stimulants, directives and those that do not have calories. Laxative teas will help people send out undigested food but do not burn fat. The negative effect of laxative teas is that if taken for a long time, it causes colon weakness. Directive teas have as main effect to send out excess fluids. That is why those who take such teas tend to urinate frequently. They lose calcium and magnesium and start complaining of cramps and muscle weakness. Most directive teas contain an element which causes scars in the kidney. This results in long term kidney failure. Stimulant teas increase the metabolic rate of the body which makes somebody to be very active. When the body's metabolic rate is increased, it means the body pumps blood more than it is usual, leading to increased blood pressure and irregular heartbeat. Those who take stimulant teas easily become nervous, irritable and often do not sleep well. Low calorie products have been proven to cause cancer of the stomach if taken in large quantities.

What advice to people using such teas?

Before people start taking slimming teas, they need to see their medical practitioner or nutritionists who will first start by checking the state of their health and advise them on which tea to take and the duration which normally should be for a short time. The nutritionists will also help the person bring out the dietary and physical exercise plan for the period during which the person wants to lose weight. The best way of losing weight is a healthy living which involves what goes in as food and what goes out in terms of physical exercises. A person who wants to lose weight should take a heavy breakfast (eat like a king), eat averagely in the afternoon (eat like a prince) and very little in the evening (eat like a pauper). People can take slimming teas for a short time to act as a push in losing weight with the supervision of a doctor. People should stop spending money on useless products because what they get is uncontrolled blood pressure and heart beats, colon problems, amongst others.