# Ingesting a Tapeworm. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 26, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570 "2019-05-26T20:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/1 "2019-05-26T20:36:56Z")
Is there any advantage to ingesting a tapeworm today? I am not planning on doing it myself. And I am not saying anyone else should. It’s a purely hypothetical question. I don’t have a cite. But I saw an old ad for ‘sterilized’ tapeworms from the 19th century that basically said that you could eat all you wanted if you did. Also (sorry again, no cite) I saw this story on _Ripley’s Believe It or Not_ in the 80’s that talked about this German guy who swallowed a tapeworm and then basically drank contaminated stuff that would kill you and me. He even drank from the contaminated Rhine river. Yikes! Could you really do all this if you swallowed a tapeworm? And please don’t do this. It’s just a harmless question. :):):)🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/2 "2019-05-26T20:57:00Z")
You are bored today, huh? ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/3 "2019-05-26T20:58:05Z")
I’m gonna be sick. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/4 "2019-05-26T21:02:54Z")
I suppose we should try to give a factual answer. If the TW ate all your food/drank all your water intake for you, wouldn’t you starve/de-hydrate to death? Wouldn’t Mr. TW swell up and give you a nice intestinal blockage? That’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/5 "2019-05-26T21:03:26Z")
There are some gullible folks who think that [eating tapeworms is a good weight-loss program](https://www.healthline.com/health/diet-and-weight-loss/tapeworm-diet#side-effects). However, such ingestion is fraught with risks. Why anyone thinks infecting themselves with a parasite to lose weight is somehow better than just eating less is beyond me. Having 30-foot parasites in you is dangerous and can even be fatal. So, no–no advantage. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/6 "2019-05-26T21:10:30Z")
A tapeworm is not a black hole. I think no matter how much the cute little critter eats, most of the nutrients you eat are still going to be processed by your body. I would read the [Wikipedia page on tapeworm-related medical conditions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eucestoda#Medical_importance) before you decide to do this. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/7 "2019-05-26T22:08:53Z")
I remember reading somewhere that you only ever get one tapeworm. This fact led some people who were going to a place where they were endemic to acquire a sterilized worm before they left on the principle that they would not then be hosting a nasty foreign one. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2019, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/8 "2019-05-26T23:33:32Z")
Ok, say the worm eats 5% of what you eat, and turns it into worm. You havent lost any weight, just a longer worm. Science! ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/9 "2019-05-27T00:50:29Z")
Per UpToDate: > [@](#): > > Most infections are asymptomatic, but symptoms become more common as the parasite burden increases. Heavy infections with \>1000 worms can occur and are often associated with crampy abdominal pain, diarrhea, anorexia, fatigue, and pruritus ani. Dizziness, irritability, sleep disturbance, and seizures have also been described. A peripheral blood eosinophilia of 5 to 10 percent may be observed. > > Malignant transformation of the dwarf tapeworm has been described in an HIV-infected patient. Further study of host-parasite interactions is needed to better understand the potential relationships between infection and cancer. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/10 "2019-05-27T02:27:26Z")
I need a good leeching. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/11 "2019-05-27T08:55:39Z")
^^^or maybe a less invasive ‘burping’, would suit.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/12 "2019-05-27T09:13:03Z")
There was a serious suggestion that parasites modulated immune response, leading to suppression of auto-immune disease and suppression of allergies. As far as I remember, that was about 20 years ago, it seemed to work for some people, but the overall feeling I got was that even people in areas where worms were endemic still got auto-immune diseases and suffered from allergies. I haven’t heard of any more recent research (but partly because I don’t read that stuff any more), which seems to suggest that there didn’t turn out to be much in it. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/13 "2019-05-27T09:43:43Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > I need a good leeching. Here you go: [https://www.leech.com/](https://www.leech.com/) ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2019, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/14 "2019-05-27T13:20:29Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > Here you go: [https://www.leech.com/](https://www.leech.com/) Oh, thank God there are leech tweezers available. I’m gonna be sick. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/15 "2019-05-28T19:50:29Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Per UpToDate: > > _Malignant transformation of the dwarf tapeworm has been described_ Wait, what? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/16 "2019-05-28T23:01:47Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Wait, what? Weird looking cancer cells appeared in the lungs and lymph nodes of an HIV patient. On further study, the cells contained DNA from H. nana tapeworms. Subsequent comparative deep sequencing identified H. nana structural genomic variants that are compatible with mutations described in cancer. Invasion of human tissue by abnormal, proliferating, genetically altered tapeworm cells is a novel disease mechanism that links infection and cancer. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/17 "2019-05-28T23:43:18Z")
There is helminthic therapy. It involves intentionally ingesting parasitic worms because for people with autoimmune disorders, it causes the immune system to redirect and focus on fighting the worms instead of fighting the host body. > **[Helminthic therapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy)** > > Helminthic therapy, an experimental type of immunotherapy, is the treatment of autoimmune diseases and immune disorders by means of deliberate infestation with a helminth or with the eggs of a helminth. Helminths are parasitic worms such as hookworms, whipworms, and threadworms that have evolved to live within a host organism on which they rely for nutrients. These worms are members of two phyla: nematodes, which are primarily used in human helminthic therapy, and flat worms (trematodes). > Helmin... ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2019, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/18 "2019-05-28T23:47:25Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Weird looking cancer cells appeared in the lungs and lymph nodes of an HIV patient. On further study, the cells contained DNA from H. nana tapeworms. Subsequent comparative deep sequencing identified H. nana structural genomic variants that are compatible with mutations described in cancer. Invasion of human tissue by abnormal, proliferating, genetically altered tapeworm cells is a novel disease mechanism that links infection and cancer. I would not have guessed that’s what malignant transformation meant. That is an odd thing to ponder. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/19 "2019-05-29T12:59:13Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Weird looking cancer cells appeared in the lungs and lymph nodes of an HIV patient. On further study, the cells contained DNA from H. nana tapeworms. Subsequent comparative deep sequencing identified H. nana structural genomic variants that are compatible with mutations described in cancer. Invasion of human tissue by abnormal, proliferating, genetically altered tapeworm cells is a novel disease mechanism that links infection and cancer. Does that mean what I think it means? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2019, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570/20 "2019-05-29T14:22:35Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Does that mean what I think it means? What do you think it means? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ingesting-a-tapeworm/834570.md?page=2)