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Detox Diets

What are detox diets?

Detox diets are trending dieting approaches that claim to help the body eliminate harmful toxins such as heavy metals pollutants and synthetic chemicals, promote weight loss, and better health (Klein & Kiat, 2015). Detox diets may include dietary modifications, fasting, juice fasting and the use of ‘cleansing foods’, vitamins/minerals, diuretics, and laxatives is often involved (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

Marble Surface

The Problem

The detox industry claims many unsupported health claims with no significant scientific evidence (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

As of today, no randomized controlled trials (the gold standard for efficacy evidence) have been performed in humans to evaluate the efficiency of detox diets.

The few clinical studies that have shown successful liver detoxification and elimination of pollutants from the body by detox diets are unreliable due to defective methodologies and low number of participants in the studies (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

Dismantling The Marketing Sham

Diet Salad

  • Detox diets hardly ever mention what toxin(s) they are eliminating (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

  • Toxicokinetics, the study of how foreign chemical substances (xenobiotics) are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted by the body, is not completely understood yet (Genius, 2011).

  • No scientific studies supporting the effectiveness of detox diet for weight loss (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

  • Some detox diets are low in calories and lack sufficient nutrients, causing stress to the dieter.

  • Stress elevates cortisol levels in the body resulting in increased appetite and weight gain (Genius, 2011).

On the Scales

What The Science Says

Health Risk

  • Electrolyte imbalance, vitamin and protein deficiencies and lactic acidosis (build-up of acid in the bloodstream) (Genius, 2011).

  • Laxative, water, diuretics, and supplement overdosing (Soliman et al., 2018).

Are Detox Diets Necessary For Toxin Elimination?

  • Some toxins can be metabolized and expelled quickly by the body through fecal removal, the kidney, pulmonary exhalation (Soliman et al., 2018), the liver, skin, and gastrointestinal system (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

  • Chemicals and metals may take longer to be excreted by the body, and may accumulate in the tissues. Proper nutrition is recommended to support these detoxification systems (Soliman et al., 2018).

Nutritional Components That May Aid In Metal Elimination

  • Citrus pectin (found in citrus fruit pulp and peel), malic acid (in wine and grapes), Chlorella (green algae), succinic acid (in apples and blueberries) (Klein & Kiat, 2015).

REFERENCES:

 

Genuis. (2011). Elimination of persistent toxicants from the human body. Human & Experimental Toxicology, 30(1), 3–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0960327110368417

 

Klein, & Kiat, H. (2015). Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 28(6), 675–686. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12286

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Soliman, Fuller, W., Usmani, N., & Akanbi, O. (2018). Acute Severe Hyponatremia as a Serious Health Implication of Herbal Detox Regimens. Curēus (Palo Alto, CA), 10(12), e3697. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.3697

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