Every year around this time, we feel that things have to change. We look in the mirror and are shocked. We try to squeeze our new pounds into our jeans, to no avail. So we decide to make big changes in our lives: more exercise, less alcohol, more snacking, healthy meals. But before all this really begins, we must imperatively detoxify ourselves!
The term ‘detox’, short for ‘detoxification’, has become an umbrella term for a wide range of treatments that are said to remove all kinds of toxins from our body. After a prolonged period of excess, this detox would be essential – at least that’s what women’s magazines and similar sources tell us.
It is of course true that between Christmas and the New Year, many of us ate too much, consumed too much alcohol and exercised too little. Such habits, we are assured, inevitably accumulate toxins in our bodies that endanger our good health. Proponents of detoxification promise that their treatments will help the body get rid of these toxins and thus return to health.
Most of the treatments recommended for detoxification come from the field of alternative medicine. To tell the truth, it even seems difficult to find an alternative treatment which some promoters do not believe detoxifies the body. This is particularly the case for acupuncture, colon irrigation, suction cups, ear candles, homeopathy, leeches, herbal medicine, shiatsu or even yoga.
Added to this are the increasingly popular detoxification diets. Some of them, listed below, were the subject of a recent review article that explored the evidence for their health effects.
Liver cleansing diet. Duration: eight weeks. Allowed Foods: Plant-based, dairy-free, low-fat, high-fiber, and unprocessed foods are allowed. Epsom salt and liver tonics are also consumed. Expected benefits: improved energy levels and liver function, elimination of toxins, improved immune response, efficient fat metabolism and better weight control.
Lemon detox diet. Duration: 10 days. Allowed Foods: A liquid-only diet of purified water, lemon juice, tree syrup, and cayenne pepper. A slightly laxative herbal tea and sea salt water are also incorporated. Expected benefits: Elimination of toxins, shiny hair, radiant skin, solidified nails, weight loss.
Clean program. Duration: 21 days. Allowed Foods: Breakfast and dinner include probiotic capsules, cleansing supplements, and cleansing shakes. A solid lunch meal while avoiding gluten, dairy, corn, soy, pork, beef, refined sugars, some fruits and vegetables. Expected benefits: Elimination of toxins, improvement of energy, digestion, sleep and mental health. Reduction of joint pain, headaches, constipation and bloating.
Martha’s vineyard method. Duration: 21 days. Allowed foods: Herbal teas, soups and vegetable juices, tablets, powders and specially formulated digestive enzymes are on the menu. Expected benefits: Weight loss, elimination of toxins, improved energy levels.
Wonder detox weekend. Duration: 48 hours. Allowed foods: High-protein meals, salads, detoxifying superfoods, and beverages. Healthy lifestyle, spa treatments and herbal remedies. Expected benefits: Elimination of toxins, improvement in the functioning of organs, strengthening of the body, enhanced beauty.
Blueprint cleanse. Duration: 3 days. Authorized foods: The consumption of six vegetable and fruit juices prepared in advance is authorized per day. Expected benefits: Elimination of toxins
The Hubbard Purification Program (Scientology). Duration: Several weeks. Allowed foods: Doses of niacin and sustained consumption of vitamins A, B, C, D and E. Daily exercise and balanced meals. Restriction of alcohol and drug consumption. Sitting in a sauna for ≤ 5 hours each day. Expected benefits: Elimination of toxins from fat stores, improvement of memory, intelligence quotient, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Scientists who reviewed the data on these different diets concluded that there was not good evidence for their effectiveness. On the contrary, they could turn out to be harmful. For example by leading to malnutrition, inducing stress, increasing cortisol levels and increasing appetite leading to binge eating and weight gain.
Finally, there are also more complex detoxification programs based not on a single therapy but on a mixture of several different interventions. A classic example is “Biologic Living”, invented by John Harvey Kellogg, best known as the creator of cornflakes. Kellogg advocated his diet of cornflakes supplemented with the following treatments: vegetarian diet with an artificial Kellogg meat, called “nuttose” or “nuteena”; bath under light that can last for hours or even days; regular exercise; various forms of electrotherapy; vibration therapy; massage therapy; breathing techniques; colonic irrigation using specially designed machines to administer 14 liters of water followed by a pint of yogurt, half of which was to be consumed, while the other half was administered through a second enema; water cures of various types; sexual abstinence, including various measures to avoid masturbation…
In addition to guaranteeing weight loss, the entrepreneurs of such detox programs also promise all sorts of additional health benefits, for example more energy and well-being, stronger immunity, faster burning of fat, fewer allergies, less aches and pains, healthier skin, hair and nails.
But is there evidence, and what does it tell us?
The statement that certain toxins can accumulate in our body is, of course, correct. However, it is usually exaggerated beyond all proportion by detox fanatics. The assumption that the detoxification treatments listed above effectively remove toxins from our body is not supported by solid evidence. We are endowed with powerful mechanisms to achieve this without outside help – for example via the functions of the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines or skin – and there is no evidence that alternative treatment can stimulate these processes. My own review of the detoxification literature concluded that “the promotion of alternative detox treatments provides revenue for some entrepreneurs but has the potential to cause harm to patients and consumers.”
In summary, detoxification is highly hyped, but implausible, ineffective, and potentially dangerous. If you overindulged during the holidays, by far the best thing is to not overindulge afterward for a while. And remember this: what detoxification entrepreneurs are trying to eliminate is not a toxin from your body, but simply money from your wallet.
Edzard Ernst, Emeritus Professor, University of Exeter, UK.
