by Although detox diets may seem like a quick, harmless addition to your health regimen, they can have the opposite effect. Photo / Getty Images
Online exclusive
As well as Jennifer Bowden’s columns in the Listener NZ and here at listener.co.nzsubscribers can access her bi-weekly column “Myth Busters” in which she explores food and nutrition myths. This week she looks at the science – or lack thereof – behind detox diets.
With
promises of rapid weight loss and elimination of toxins, detox diets are seen as an attractive pre-summer reset.
Whether it’s a fasting plan, juicing or supplements, detoxes claim to promote health and wellness through a fresh start. But are they really beneficial to your health or simply another fad?
Before you jump on the detox bandwagon, let’s separate fact from fiction by looking at the scientific evidence to see what risks, if any, they pose to your health.
The concept of detoxifying the body goes back thousands of years to Greek, Roman, Indian and Native American cultures, where fasting, saunas, herbs, rebounding, dry brushing, water, relaxation, exercise and meditation were used. These interventions focused on eliminating toxins and improving health.
However, due to our Western obsession with being thin by any means possible (regardless of the potential harm), detoxification is now often used as a starting point for weight loss efforts. .
Modern detox diets often involve juice fasting, calorie restriction or dietary changes and usually include vitamin supplements, minerals, diuretics, laxatives or “clean” foods. For example, the liver cleansing diet is an eight-week, plant-based, dairy-free plan that allows only unprocessed foods, along with Epsom salt and liver tonics. The lemon detox diet replaces all solid food for eight days with a mixture of purified water, lemon juice, tree syrup and cayenne pepper, as well as herbal laxatives and sea salt water. These types of detox diets are far from nutritionally balanced.
Despite their claims, there is little scientific evidence to support their long-term effectiveness. a scientific review published in 2015 in Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found exactly zero randomized controlled trials on the effectiveness of detox diets.
Several researchers have done studies on detox diets that claim to show positive results. However, these studies were poorly conducted with small numbers of participants, no control group for comparison and often relied on participants’ self-reported outcomes rather than objective clinical measures such as blood tests.
Detox diets significantly limit the calories that dieters eat by limiting the quantity and variety of foods. This causes issues, as noted in a review in 2022 i Limits in Nutrition. First, fasting increases cortisol levels in healthy young women; intake of 1200 kcal per day increases stress hormone levels in women. And that increased stress can stimulate the appetite. In other words, detox diets can cause physical stress, raise cortisol levels and increase appetite, leading to binge eating after (or even during) the detox.
In addition, commercial detox diets often promote nutritional deficiencies and expose dieters to harmful ingredients. The American FDA has cracked down on several companies for selling detox/cleansing products that contain dangerous ingredients.
In 2019, for example, the FDA advised consumers not to buy Dr Forster’s Detox Plus, which contained tadalafil, pynantheine and mitragynine. Tadalafil is the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction medication Cialis, while pynantheine and mitragynine are components of Mitragyna speciosa a plant, commonly known as kratom, that is native to Asia. Kratom stimulates the same opioid brain receptors as morphine and may have properties that expose users to the risks of addiction, abuse and dependence.
The reality is that 99% of people have a perfectly functioning liver and two kidneys that do a great job of removing external and internal toxins from the body. In addition, we excrete toxins through sebum and sweat.
Although detox diets may seem like a quick, harmless addition to your health regimen, the scientific evidence suggests otherwise. These restrictive programs can lead to binge eating, increased stress, nutritional deficiencies and even harmful side effects from uncontrolled products. Focus instead on a balanced, whole foods diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins. Your body already has an effective detoxification system and feeding it with healthy foods is a much safer and more sustainable way to preserve your long-term health.
