Another day, another damaging weight loss trend making its way around TikTok. According to a heap of creators online, you can shed some serious kilos by putting castor oil in your belly button before nodding off to sleep. But can it really help you lose weight? According to dieticians, not really. Instead, it just harmfully perpetuates diet culture and toxic expectations. Well, that and moisturises your bellybutton.
Co-founder of wellness brand KIC and podcaster Steph Claire Smith has spoken out about the castor oil trend, labelling it as “harmful”.
“Social media is flooded with quick fixes and so-called “miracle” weight-loss hacks, many of which promise instant results with minimal effort. But trust me, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” Steph told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“While they may seem tempting, especially with the constant influx of before-and-after photos, these trends can be incredibly misleading and, in most cases, harmful.
“Diet culture has convinced so many of us that there’s an easy way to a ‘healthier’ body, but true health doesn’t come in a jar or with a one-night transformation. Unfortunately, many quick fixes – like the latest castor oil belly button trend (which is absolutely wild) – don’t just lack real results; they perpetuate a toxic cycle of unrealistic expectations and even dangerous behaviours.”
What does a dietician have to say?
Although Steph is a great advocate for healthy living, she’s not a dietician. So, she hooked us up with the KIC dietician and nutritionist Olivia Morrison to explain exactly what putting castor oil in your belly button will do. The good news is that it’s not actually bad for you. Well, only because it won’t really do anything.
“Putting castor oil on your stomach or in your belly button before bed isn’t necessarily bad, because it doesn’t do much of anything. At best, it’ll hydrate your skin,” Olivia explains.
“From what I’ve seen online, people doing this trend are performing a type of abdominal massage when applying the castor oil. Abdominal massage is a proven and effective technique to improve digestive symptoms like bloating and constipation. The castor oil packs being sold with this trend are essentially a strap that wraps around your stomach to keep the oil in your belly button, these do a similar thing.”
According to Olivia, the pressure applied to the abdomen when you wear these packs can reduce gas.
“Both the abdominal massage and stomach packs are creating an illusion of ‘overnight weight loss’ but they’re actually just ways you can improve digestion and gut motility,” Olivia continues.
“Applying castor oil onto your skin isn’t going to create a drastic caloric shift needed for fat loss, nor is it a ‘gateway’ to your gastrointestinal tract. Adult belly buttons aren’t connected to an organ, it’s just a scar. There are numerous layers of skin, fat, connective tissue and muscle before reaching the intestines and lucky for us, our body isn’t permeable enough to have oils or similar topical substances absorb right through.”
Castor oil on the belly button isn’t anything new
Before castor oil was rebranded as a weight loss miracle, it had been used for thousands of years in Ayurvedic and traditional medicine. Applying it directly to the navel or belly button was a practice known as Nabhi Chikitsa (meaning navel treatment) and used to treat constipation, improve digestion, relieve menstrual cramps and improve skin health.
So, if it’s not actually bad for you, why is this trend dangerous?
Trends like this one, and the “Oatzempic” trend are damaging because they promote disordered eating behaviours.
“Castor oil is classified as a stimulant laxative so those promoting oral consumption of it online for weight loss are concerning. It’s like we’re stepping back to 2013 with the laxative ‘detox’ teas all over again,” Olivia shares.
“Laxative abuse is common in the eating disorder community, often used as a way to hide restrictive eating behaviours and malabsorb food, so the promotion and normalisation of consuming castor oil online are very worrying as vulnerable people are most likely to see this content.”
Although castor oil is being pushed as a fat-loss tool, Olivia says that the research doesn’t back that up.
“Research shows that using stimulant laxatives like castor oil doesn’t increase fat loss and isn’t an effective strategy to lose weight; they predominately cause dehydration and can irreversibly damage your gut,” she continues.
“While castor oil is one of the oldest types of laxatives, it’s not recommended by health professionals anymore as there are so many more effective options available with fewer adverse effects. It’s important to note that castor oil laxatives are not safe for people with kidney or liver issues and can interact with medications.”
The thing about weight loss miracles
As frustrating as it is, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
“Unfortunately, what works for sustainable, healthy weight loss isn’t something you can purchase on Amazon. It’s about modifying your lifestyle with small, consistent changes over time,” Olivia reminds us.
“It’s important to question who you’re getting weight loss or health advice from online… Are they a trusted source? Is this backed up by any health professionals? Is there a monetary motive behind telling me this?”
As always, if you are struggling with your weight and want help, it’s always better to seek out a professional rather than listen to people on TikTok.
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