The Snake Diet boasts drastic weight-loss results. Here’s why it’s dangerous.

The Snake Diet is an extreme intermittent fasting diet — eating in a one- to two-hour window — founded by self-described fasting coach Cole Robinson. While the Snake Diet website makes numerous claims, including tighter, clearer skin, a revved-up metabolism, and reversal of Type 2 diabetes, the diet’s founder is not a qualified health care professional (there’s no designated fasting coach credential), and these claims aren’t based in scientific evidence.

As a registered dietitian, I believe the Snake Diet is not a healthy way to lose weight. Here’s more about the Snake Diet, plus why I’d suggest avoiding it.

What is the Snake Diet?

The Snake Diet promotes fasting, sometimes for days at a time.  While other studied forms of fasting typically allow eating in an eight-hour window, such as 16:8 intermittent fasting, or eating lightly for two non-consecutive days, the Snake Diet may have you fasting for much longer — possibly more than two days, depending on the person.

Initially, everyone starts out with a 48-hour fast during which you may have Snake Juice (more on this below) and water, but nothing else. After that, fasting periods vary depending on the person and the amount of weight they have to lose.

There aren’t a lot of rules on the Snake Diet other than to eat within a two-hour window and not to go overboard during that time. However, given that you'll be fasting for at least 22 hours, it’s going to be very hard to control what and how much you eat when you're permitted to do so.

What is Snake Juice?

Snake Juice is designed to provide electrolytes to keep you sufficiently hydrated during your fast.

Each packet of the commercial product has 1,045 milligrams of sodium, or almost half of the 2,300 milligram per day upper limit recommended by U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The American Heart Association says an ideal daily target is more like 1,500 milligrams a day. So, drinking up to three packets of this beverage per day can put you over the healthy range and lead to high blood pressure. Eventually, high blood pressure can injure your blood vessels and raise your risk of heart attacks and strokes.

What’s more, when your body tries to clear the excess sodium, it also excretes calcium. This is problematic given that you’re not maintaining adequate calcium intake during your fast (and probably while refeeding, too). Over time, insufficient calcium intake can lead to frail bones and osteoporosis.

Additionally, each packet of Snake Juice contains 100 milligrams of magnesium citrate, a form of magnesium that may cause cramping, bloating and diarrhea.

The recipe for Snake Juice is provided on the website, but it’s also available as a powder that you mix with water. The price for 30 packets is quite steep at $40, which may add up to more than you want to spend over time.

Can the Snake Diet help you lose weight?

It seems likely that most people eating the standard American diet of multiple daily meals high in added sugar and saturated fat and low in fiber, fruits and veggies would lose weight during an extreme fast. But that doesn’t make the Snake Diet an appropriate choice for weight loss.

As a dietitian, I worry about whether this is a sustainable eating pattern, and I’m concerned that those following it would have a hard time meeting nutrient needs when limiting food intake to this schedule.

What are the downsides of the Snake Diet?

For starters, if you’re participating in prolonged fasting, which the Snake Diet requires, it may not be safe to exercise. Fasting can cause side effects such as dizziness, headaches and fainting. Exercising while fasting may affect your performance and could lead to an accident or injury, so talk to your doctor if you plan to attempt exercising while following the Snake Diet.

It’s more likely that feeling hungry and potentially lightheaded will deter you from exercise. However, this means you’d be avoiding a habit that’s associated with numerous benefits. For instance, regular exercise can reduce anxiety and help promote thinking, learning, and judgment skills as you age. It also helps lower your risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer.

Additionally, extreme fasting can cause constipation and other potentially serious side effects, such as a higher risk of gallstones.

A big concern I have with the Snake Diet is its potential impact on your emotional health. Food is at the center of most celebrations, integral to many religious rituals and promotes social connection. If you’re willing to forgo the joys of eating to participate in extreme dieting, it may be a sign that you have an unhealthy relationship with your body and food. If that’s the case, the Snake Diet (or any restrictive diet) could do further damage.

Finally, the Snake Diet’s use of before-and-after weight loss photos to market the plan and Robinson’s fat-shaming language are disturbing and harmful. These practices can promote body dissatisfaction and social pressure to be thin, which is a leading contributor to eating disorders.

Final thoughts about the Snake Diet

While the Snake Diet will likely help you lose weight, that doesn’t make it worth the substantial risks. If you’re looking to lose weight, it’s better to try a more sustainable approach that supports you physically, socially and emotionally, even if your weight loss results are more modest.

Despite the fact that I don’t recommend the Snake Diet, other forms of intermittent fasting may be helpful for some people. However, if you have a medical condition, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease or digestive disease, or if you’re over 65 years old, check with your health care provider before trying any type of intermittent fasting. In addition, if you’re an avid exerciser, think twice before attempting intermittent fasting. It may not be worth the tradeoff.

Finally, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people with a history of disordered eating or an eating disorder, and those under 18 should avoid intermittent fasting.

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This article was originally published on TODAY.com