Detox Diets: Good or Bad For You?

Detox diets have become very popular over recent years, with everyone from Hollywood stars to housewives keen to abandon their normal eating habits and survive on mostly water, fruit and vegetables.

Advocates of such diets see them as a quick-fix solution to revitalising skin, clearing out the colon and boosting liver function by eliminating potentially damaging toxins from the body. They also claim that detoxing increases energy levels and reduces feelings of bloatedness.

However, new American research debunks many of the health claims made for these diets. Some nutrition experts now claim that detoxing does more to expel toxins from the body than normal biological functions. It can, in fact, amount to “protracted starvation” and may be a serious health hazard.

Professor Roger Clemens, an expert in toxicology at the University of California, and Dr Peter Pressman, an endocrinologist at a private medical firm in Beverly Hills, claim there is no evidence to support the belief that detox regimes help remove potentially damaging toxins from the body. The lungs, kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract and immune system already remove or neutralise toxic substances within hours of consumption, they say.

Detox diets' claims of revitalising skin, decontaminating the colon and purging the liver are simply “empty promises”, and the widely reported benefit of feeling less bloated on a detox regime is simply due to the fact that less food is eaten, claim the scientists.

“These approaches are contrary to scientific consensus and medical evidence and are not consistent with the principle that diets should reflect balance, moderation, and variety,” the doctors wrote in the American magazine Food Technology.

What amounts to protracted starvation and nutrient insufficiency may ironically slow metabolic rates and breakdown of fat stores.

“While an antioxidant rich diet [one high in fruit and vegetables] is probably a desirable goal, the negative impact of protein and calorie deprivation likely far outweigh whatever beneficial effects may accrue,” said Clemens and Pressman, adding that a detox regime could mask health problems or lead to delayed diagnosis of an illness.

There “may be significant health risks associated with these kinds of regimens”, they warned, and said that children, teenagers, pregnant or breastfeeding women, older adults, and those with heart disease, diabetes or irritable bowel disorders should avoid detox regimes.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) believes that ‘detox’ is a meaningless term. “Because it hasn't been defined, it's impossible to say if it's worked or if it hasn't. The body is set up to deal with the chemicals it doesn't want and excrete them,” said a BDA spokesperson.

If you want to eat more healthily, follow the advice on the BDA’s website (http://www.bda.uk.com):

• Eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
• Choose moderate amounts of meat, fish and pulses.
• Base your meals on starchy foods such as bread, potatoes, pasta, noodles and rice.
• Have two to three portions of dairy foods a day.
• Eat foods containing fat and sugar sparingly.

The most important message to remember is that there are no good or bad foods, only healthy and unhealthy diets.