Detox products called into question

Detox products that promise to help get people back on track after eating and drinking a little too much at Christmas have been called into question by scientists.

Experts from Sense About Science have tested a number of so-called detox products in an attempt to find out if they really do offer a miracle cure for overindulgence.

Everything from face wash to bottled water was studied by a team from the charitable trust, with the organisation suggesting that the majority of detox products offer no additional benefits.

The research was carried out by the Voice of Young Science network and has led to the publication of a new information leaflet entitled Debunking Detox. The researchers recently took their message out on to the streets of central London and distributed the leaflets to shoppers on the high street.

Sense About Science aims to promote scientific evidence and research to engage public debate and provide support for arguments about controversial topics. The organisation previously looked into January detox plans back in 2006.

Experts from the trust joined together to promote one key message for a healthy New Year: "Save your money; have a glass of tap water, a turkey salad and a good night's sleep."

This was the first time the group highlighted the importance of the liver and the kidneys, arguing that products marketed as detoxifying often "waste money and sow confusion about how our bodies, nutrition and chemistry actually work".

Chemical Scientist Dr John Emsley said: "Our bodies are very good at eliminating all the nasties that we might ingest over the festive season.

"There is a popular notion that we can speed up the elimination process by drinking fancy bottled water or sipping herbal teas, but this is just nonsense. In fact, many of the detox diets and supplements really aren't that good for you, nor have they been properly tested."

Meanwhile, Ursual Arens, a registered dietician from the British Dietetic Association, was a little more hard-hitting, suggesting 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," she added. However, the new research appears to have backed up her comments, with this year's study revealing that no two detox products appear to offer the same definition for the term.

The new report also revealed that the majority of companies offer limited evidence to back up detox claims. In fact, some of the firms contacted by the scientists said that they had renamed some products to promote them under the detox banner. Terms such as 'cleaning' and 'brushing' were interchanged with 'detoxing'.