Over the last few weeks, some content creators have shared videos of themselves eating massive bowls of greens and other fresh produce in the hope of getting Cyclospora, so that they can lose weight from having “explosive diarrhea.” In some of the clips that have amassed more than 2 million views, people joked about losing 15-20 pounds after the meal.

Although these videos are satirical, gastroenterologists say that having the parasite doesn’t help with weight loss, and the humor downplays the severity of cyclosporiasis, which has spread across 41 states since May.

“Some people may overlook symptoms because they may think they can lose another three extra pounds if this infection continues,” Ekta Gupta, MD, chief of gastroenterology at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, said. “And what they overlook is that it’s causing malabsorption and can cause more long-term health-related issues, especially if they don’t get appropriate treatment.”

Gupta said that symptoms, like the watery diarrhea, can last for a few weeks to months. There are also often cases where patients’ bowel movements are back to normal for a week before the “explosive diarrhea” returns again.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that when people consume food or drink contaminated with Cyclospora, they can develop cyclosporiasis, an illness that infects the small intestine and causes watery diarrhea.

The CDC has received 4,173 laboratory-confirmed cases of cyclosporiasis in the United States. There are at least 7,400 additional cases that aren’t laboratory confirmed and require further testing.

David Kahana, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist and physician formulator at 1MD Nutrition, said that after a watery bowel movement, you notice a weight loss. However, it isn’t permanent fat loss.

He said that most people will see their weight go back to normal when they’ve recovered from the infection and return to their regular diets. “True weight loss takes time and prolonged dietary efforts,” he added. “It’s not something that’s going to be achieved quickly.”

Recovering from cyclosporiasis isn’t like getting over an upset stomach. Kahana said that people can experience up to 20 bowel movements a day that are not only uncomfortable but painful.

“The weight loss is related to the loss of water and electrolytes,” he said. “It can be quite protracted, and the recovery can be long. So I would not recommend wishing for a secretory, inflammatory diarrhea that can last for weeks or months.”

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Kahana said that after people have a watery bowel movement due to the parasite, they should focus on treating their dehydration. “For most patients, rehydrating with an oral rehydration solution that contains both sodium, potassium, and sugar will help resolve the explosive diarrhea and maintain proper hydration,” he added.

Gupta said that people often get excited when they lose weight, but these TikTok or Instagram videos should not be getting all the attention right now.

“This parasite is not a weight loss hack. This is a health crisis that we need to take seriously,” she said. “So people know the appropriate things, like how to avoid it by washing their hands and cleaning their produce.”