Government doctors have sounded warnings for dieters across Hong Kong that they might just be putting their life at risk by swallowing parasitic worms that can grow up to 38 cm in length, in order to stay slim.

Health Department of the city has revealed that Chinese-language websites have now been offering products which contain potentially life-threatening parasites, for quite sometime, as a means to lose weight quickly, without having to cut back on food.

The eggs of Ascaris worms are used by these "remedies". These worms are huge intestinal parasites, which can lay as many as 200,000 eggs every single day inside the host body. Abdominal pain, distension, vomiting, diarrhea and malnutrition can be caused by the swallowing of these worms, as has been shared by a spokesman for Hong Kong's Department of Health.

"Parasite infestation may also be fatal if serious complications such as intestinal, biliary tract or pancreatic duct obstruction arise. The worms may even invade such organs as the lungs", said the spokesman.