{"id":967680,"date":"2026-07-29T22:05:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T22:05:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/967680\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T22:05:27","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T22:05:27","slug":"cyclospora-skinny-trend-called-dangerous-by-arizona-medical-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/967680\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Cyclospora skinny’ trend called dangerous by Arizona medical experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cyclosporiasis outbreak surges across 41 states<\/a> <\/p>\n

Dr. Marc Siegel discusses the alarming cyclosporiasis outbreak, with over 4,000 cases in 41 states linked to contaminated produce. He emphasizes the need for caution as the parasitic infection isn’t fully controlled, despite FDA tracing efforts. Siegel also critiques the FDA panel’s recommendation to ease peptide restrictions, highlighting insufficient human studies on their long-term health impacts.<\/p>\n

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A social media trend dubbed “cyclospora skinny” is prompting warnings from medical professionals as Arizona health officials investigate 36 locally acquired cases of the intestinal illness.<\/p>\n

Videos and jokes referencing the outbreak have spread across social platforms, with some users suggesting the parasite could be used as a rapid weight-loss method<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Medical experts emphasize that infection from Cyclospora cayetanensis, a foodborne intestinal parasite<\/a>, is a painful illness.<\/p>\n

MORE THAN 12,000 POUNDS OF BACON RECALLED AFTER USDA ISSUES HIGHEST-RISK ALERT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“Getting any kind of illness to purposely cause something like that is just a bad idea,” Dr. Andrew Carroll, president of IntraCare and a physician in Chandler, Arizona, told Fox 10<\/a>. “Plus, cyclosporiasis can be deadly. There are folks ending up in the hospital for long periods of time.”<\/p>\n

\"Cyclosporiasis <\/p>\n

An outbreak of 36 Cyclospora cases in Arizona has sparked a dangerous social media trend promoting “Cyclospora skinny” for rapid weight loss. (iStock)<\/p>\n

Cyclospora cayetanensis is a microscopic foodborne parasite that causes the intestinal illness<\/a> cyclosporiasis, according to Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n

The parasite spreads through food or water contaminated with fecal matter, often linked to fresh produce such as berries, basil, cilantro and bagged salad mixes.<\/p>\n

CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK: IS IT STILL SAFE TO EAT AT RESTAURANTS? HERE’S WHAT TO KNOW<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The parasite infects the small intestine, causing prolonged, watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea, loss of appetite, abdominal cramping and severe fatigue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Infectious disease specialists emphasize that while weight loss can occur with cyclosporiasis, it results from fluid loss, muscle wasting and nutrient malabsorption \u2014 not healthy fat reduction.<\/p>\n

\"Person <\/p>\n

Left untreated, a Cyclospora infection can persist for weeks or even months, cycling through periods of apparent improvement followed by relapses. (iStock)<\/p>\n

Intentionally exposing yourself to Cyclospora \u2014 or ignoring symptoms of infection \u2014 can carry serious health risks, according to Cleveland Clinic.<\/p>\n

Left untreated, a Cyclospora infection can persist for weeks or even months, cycling through periods of apparent improvement followed by relapses.<\/p>\n

DOCTORS WARN YOUR ‘STOMACH BUG’ MAY ACTUALLY BE A PARASITE THAT’S HARDER TO DETECT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Cyclospora cannot be detected through standard bacterial stool cultures and requires a specific laboratory test ordered by a physician.<\/p>\n

Unlike many common stomach bugs<\/a> that resolve on their own, severe or persistent Cyclospora infections typically require a prescription antibiotic, most often trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, to fully eliminate the parasite.<\/p>\n

\"Woman <\/p>\n

Weight lost during a Cyclospora infection stems from severe fluid loss and nutrient malabsorption rather than healthy fat reduction. (iStock)<\/p>\n

Severe diarrhea and vomiting can also lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalances and complications that are especially dangerous for children, older adults<\/a> and people with weakened immune systems, experts warn.<\/p>\n

“With diarrhea, if you\u2019re not able to control that part of it, you\u2019re going to lose a lot of electrolytes, so you\u2019re going to have problems with muscle cramps and headaches<\/a> and all those sorts of things,” Carroll said.<\/p>\n

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“We\u2019re really aware of dehydration in this state; you don\u2019t want to get to the state where your heart just can\u2019t pump enough blood because there is no water in there.”<\/p>\n

Medical professionals urge the public not to view parasitic infections as a weight-loss shortcut. Instead, experts from Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic recommend practicing safe food handling<\/a> and seeking medical attention for persistent gastrointestinal symptoms.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

An untreated Cyclospora infection can cause persistent gastrointestinal illness that lasts for weeks or months with recurring relapses. (Andrew Harrer\/Bloomberg via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“People who are influencers on social media, a lot of people listen to them,” Carroll said. “There\u2019s millions of followers for these people and even the most off-colored comment, or meant to be funny, could be considered something serious.”<\/p>\n

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“Especially to someone who might be dealing and struggling with their weight; they might think, \u2018Hey, it might be a good idea,\u2019 and it\u2019s never a good idea.”<\/p>\n

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle<\/a> writer with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cyclosporiasis outbreak surges across 41 states Dr. Marc Siegel discusses the alarming cyclosporiasis outbreak, with over 4,000 cases…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":967681,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[11],"tags":[23053,23894,210,60878,67,132,68,1062,428,3149],"class_list":["post-967680","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-bacteria","tag-digestive-health","tag-health","tag-outbreaks","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-viral","tag-weight-loss","tag-wellness"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117005539697081345","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967680","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=967680"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/967680\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/967681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=967680"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=967680"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=967680"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}