Is Biggest Loser Weight Loss Safe?

The rapid weight loss of contestants on NBC’s wildly popular Biggest Loser is stirring debate in the medical community about safety.

“I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack,” Dr. Charles Burant, professor of internal medicine at University of Michigan Health System tells the New York Times.

Generally, doctors advise losing no more than 2 pounds a week. That’s far less than the weight dropped by contestants on the show, who drop more than 100 pounds in a matter of months.

Of course, no one disagrees that losing weight is a good thing. Obesity is growing faster than any other public health problem in the U.S. Quest Diagnostics Inc.'s salesman Bill Germanakos became a full-time wellness ambassador for his company, encouraging workers to shed pounds after he won Biggest Loser in 2007.

NBC points to the show’s positives and is trying to clamp down on any negative sentiment. And for good reason. The program draws 10 million viewers a week, making it one of its biggest prime-time programs.

Ryan Benson, winner of the first Biggest Loser season, publicly admitted he dropped 122 pounds by fasting and dehydrating himself to the point he was urinating blood, the Times reports. When the show hosts a reunion segment for past winners (losers?), Benson won’t be on it.