The cotton ball diet is the latest to be touted as the demon diet that parents need to be wary of, after footage of teens dipping said balls in juice and eating them, was aired.
However, while there is some speculation as to how many teens are doing this as a diet - Jezebel, for instance is not so convinced that it is a 'trend' - the bottom line is that this is still a diet that some people are undertaking. Whether it's 5 or 500, the detriment to a person's health still should be pointed out.
Apparently, the diet caught on after Eddie Murphy’s 23-year-old daughter, Bria Murphy, reported seeing models eat cotton balls dipped in juice to stay skinny.
The website King5.com who initially reported on the story quoted Dr Fred Campbell as saying: “It's my understanding there are a lot of supermodels and celebrities attempting this, and I’m sure young women emulate women and their figures."
Story continues below the slideshow:
Why does the diet even work? "Since cotton is non-digestible and has something of a sponge-type effect, it might be an initial feeling of fullness in the stomach," Campbell said.
The Daily Mail reported that if pursuing such a dangerous diet, women face the risk of choking and malnutrition, and may create a bezoar - which is a mass that obstructs the intestines.
The newspaper quoted Dr Ovidio Bermudez, the chief medical officer at the Eating Recovery Center in Denver as saying: "Nothing good can come of this. Absolutely nothing. The most common causes of bezoars are swallowing indigestible matter like hair or too much vegetable fiber. Cotton balls could certainly create similar problems,' he explained."
Lastly, women who are doing this diet should note that they aren't exactly swallowing cotton wool. Brandi Koskie, managing editor of the website Diets in Review, told ABC News that what concerns her the most about the trend is that most cotton balls aren't cotton - they're bleached, polyester fibres that contain many chemicals.