Detox "Diets" - Fact or Fiction

There is very little science to back the claims of "detoxification”. As a matter of fact, there are no scientific studies that prove "detoxification” has any benefits. Since there is such little evidence on the subject, not only am I unable to recommend "detoxification” for long-term weight-loss or "ridding” the body of accumulate toxins, but I am even reluctant to recommend it as being safe.

In 2006, an article in the New York Times by Dr. Samuel Klein, director of the Center for Human Nutrition at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis, said, "There are no data to prove that detoxing methods provide any medical benefit.” Moreover, "fasting for too long can deplete muscle tissues, including your heart muscle and it can reduce the size and functioning of organs like the kidneys and liver”. (Aren't these the very organs that the detox people claim they want to help??).

In a project that debunks detox myths, Sense for Science (a London non-profit group that works with scientists to respond to inaccuracies in public claims about science, medicine and technology) interviewed numerous U.K. biochemical experts, including Dr. John Emsley, a popular science writer and chemical scientist at the University of Cambridge. According to Emsley, "Our bodies are very good at eliminating all the nasties that we might ingest...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.”

So before you decide to try a detox diet, research whether or not it really does anything positive. It's highly unlikely that you will find any data confirming benefit, potentially even harm, since you are unaware all of the compounds you are ingesting and what organs they might damage.