People who want to lose weight probably heard of these so-called detox diets during the early phase of his/her weight loss journey. Some people claim that these diets will help you lose a few pounds of weight and treat all types of diseases ranging from obesity to cancer and other life-threatening ailments, and it does so by removing all the harmful toxins from our bodies and organs. But is there any reality about these claims, and do we need to detox our bodies? Let’s figure it out.
Following a detox diet generally means eliminating all processed foods and drinking a few juices and dietary supplements. There are hundreds of books and detox plans available in the market. One such program is “Master Cleanse,” the author of this program believes that this is the world’s best healing diet, and it can treat any kind of disease. If you want to follow this plan, you will need to drink a minimum of 6 glasses of lemonade with maple syrup per day and nothing else. A 2009 study of 10 companies selling detox products found that none could name at least one toxin their products can remove from the body. Even they did not know what toxins actually are.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “there isn’t any convincing evidence that detox or cleansing programs actually remove toxins from your body or improve your health.”
Long-term consumption of detox drinks has been associated with various health issues. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “some of the products and procedures used in detox/cleansing programs may be harmful to your health.”
Detoxification is the process of removing any harmful substance or poison from the body. The liver and other organs in our body are full-equipped to detoxify our body or, in other words, remove any harmful substance from blood or other organs. Detoxification is a natural process that occurs 24/7 in our bodies. For example, Our liver transforms noxious chemicals into benign substances excreted in the urine. We must support our in-built detoxification system by eating healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables.
Yes, these diets will help you lose some pounds in the short term. That is why detox diets are popular among people with the aim of rapid weight loss. But we have to remember that there is nothing special in these diets that result in rapid weight loss. It does so by depleting glycogen stores in our body in as little as 24 hours because if you are following this type of diet, you are not supposed to eat carbohydrates( which store as glycogen in our body with water); you just need to drink few glasses of green juice along with some fruits and vegetables. It also helps you focus more on whole foods and eliminate all the junk food from your diet. When you start eating carbs again, the glycogen and associated water will return, and you will weigh the same as before starting a detox diet.
In simple words, cleanse diets do not work. Most of their benefits are linked to quick weight loss, and even that happens due to overall calorie restriction, not because of detoxification. Focus on eating more whole foods, fruits, vegetables, and other nutritional foods to support the liver and kidneys’ natural detoxification process. Do not be fooled by companies who try to sell you detox diet plans, tea, detox pads, etc.
Makkapati S, D’Agati VD, Balsam L. “Green Smoothie Cleanse” Causing Acute Oxalate Nephropathy. Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 Feb;71(2):281-286. DOI: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2017.08.002. Epub 2017 Dec 6. PMID: 29203127.
Kesavarapu K, Kang M, Shin JJ, Rothstein K. Yogi Detox Tea: A Potential Cause of Acute Liver Failure. Case Rep Gastrointest Med. 2017;2017:3540756. DOI: 10.1155/2017/3540756. Epub 2017 Oct 24. PMID: 29204300; PMCID: PMC5674495.
Leaf, A. (2020, September 3). Do you need to detox? Retrieved from examine.com: https://examine.com/nutrition/do-you-need-to-detox/#ref3
Hull, M. (2020, October 12). The top 20 nutrition myths of 2020. Retrieved from Examine.com: https://examine.com/nutrition/awful-nutrition-myths/#summary16
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