The waist training slimming fad was allegedly the reason why an actress and model had to be hospitalized for kidney disease. Princess Shyngle, who is famous in Ghana, announced that she was hospital-bound to more than 50,000 followers on her Instagram Friday.
Shyngle didn't directly say that her kidney treatment was due to her penchant for wearing a waist trainer, but the post has since been deleted after the actress received criticism for her slimming technique. She's not the only celebrity who has made waist training popular as the Kardashian sisters, Amber Rose and Jessica Alba have also been known to achieve a slimmer body in this manner.
But experts say waist training is more dangerous than effective. "If someone gets addicted to wearing a waist trainer day after day the inner organs will shift," Dr. Galyna Selezneva said in relation to Shyngle's case. "There will be a disbalance in the cavity as it is not normal to have such as small waist. There can also be changes to the ribs and bone structures," Selezneva added. "Obviously if you are wearing them repeatedly, you are not exercising the muscles so they are also wasting."
Boston University School of Medicine expert Caroline Apovian said that wearing the corset-like contraption to keep the belly slimmer and the waist curvier for one night might help boost a woman's confidence, especially if they like what they see when they look in the mirror. However, there is no scientific evidence to back claims that the contraption can shape the body or cut down fat in the waist area. "In my opinion, that is complete nonsense," Apovian said.
Waist trainers or corsets can affect air flow, which could hamper proper breathing and air circulation. More than that, those who regularly wear waist trainers were found to have decreased heart rate (15 to 20 percent), perspiration (90 percent) and blood flow to the fingers (36 percent) in a 2015 controlled study involving twenty-something women. Squeezing the body might also have health implications to a woman's pelvic floor and core since she won't be able to exercise due to heavy reliance on the contraption.
Meanwhile, Shyngle ended up clarifying her hospitalization in another Instagram post Monday. "[I want to] clear to everyone that waist training had absolutely nothing to do with me having a kidney infection," part of Shyngle's statement said. She also posted about possible causes of kidney infection to "educate" her followers.
