Are these health trends con jobs?

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Are these six wellness trends worth it?

This story was published: 1 YEAR AGO

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JUNE 13, 2014 12:01PM

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Cassie White

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346 Soon actress Shailene Woodley is going to wish she never confessed to eating clay. Source: Getty Images

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ANOTHER year, another spate of must-do-immediately wellness trends that’ll make you slimmer/younger/sexier/healthier/live forever.

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From coffee enemas to eating clay, it seems every health coach is preaching the myriad benefits of the latest, ancient, silver bullet to perfect health.

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But how many of them have actual, you know, scientific evidence behind them? We look at the most popular so-called health elixirs of 2014 so far and ask the experts what’s a fad and what’s fine.

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CLAY EATING That’s right, eating dirt. And apparently, many cultures have been doing it for centuries.

Proponents say we’re all contaminated with a long list of metals and toxins from our food, cars, water, cosmetics — the list goes on. The electric charges in those toxins bind to the edible “healing” clay, which we then ... eliminate.

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If you’re weirded out, don’t worry — so is Dr Steve Hambleton, president of the Australian Medical Association. “Eating dirt, even if it’s 100 per cent pure Australian converted by Web2PDFConvert.com

dirt or food-grade dirt, can still be harmful,” he warns.

“I don’t know of any credible evidence saying that it’s safe, or that it does all those things. It seems biologically implausible that something like that would be effective at doing anything. If all people have to go by is someone saying ‘I ate clay and I felt better’, that’s called a testimonial and just because it worked from them doesn’t mean it’ll work for someone else.”

Already been to Bunnings? Use the clay as a face mask or body wrap, he says.

Verdict: Fad.

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That clay can stay safely where it is. Source: ThinkStock

OIL PULLING Swish a spoonful of organic oil around your mouth for 20 minutes each day and you’ll be left with pearly white teeth, healthy gums and fresh breath, they say. Oil pulling is a form of Ayurvedic medicine and is also claimed to cure illnesses from heart disease to digestive disorders.

“I’m afraid there’s no scientific base to these claims,” says Dr Peter Alldritt, chair of the Australian Dental Association Health Committee. “To whiten your teeth, we have to use high concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, which is a bleaching agent. How can oil do that? Does it contain any bleaching properties? I don’t think so.”

Instead of wasting 20 minutes of you life gagging on oil and excess saliva, Alldritt says you’re much better off spending two minutes in the morning and evening brushing your teeth, and 4-5 minutes flossing. “You’ll still have a few minutes to spare!” he says.

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Verdict: Fad.

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Sponsored Links There is NO need to swish that oil. Source: News Limited

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Why drink your morning coffee when you can insert it rectally? Because by getting caffeine hit this way, you’re also apparently cleansing your liver of nasty toxins and helping to fix everything from constipation to cancer.

“Cleansing the liver is a pseudoscientific term to hoodwink the worried well,” explains Hambleton. “There’s no such thing as liver toxicity, liver toxins or liver detoxification — they’re not medical terms. The majority of toxins are excreted into the kidneys, that’s how the body works.”

Boiling some coffee, rigging up a store-bought kit and giving yourself an enema on the bathroom floor. What could possibly go wrong? A lot, says Tim Crowe, professor of nutrition at Deakin University. “It does come with a real risk of perforating your bowel,” he warns.

If you’re feeling clogged, eat a high-fibre diet and drink plenty of water. If that doesn’t work, see your GP, says Hambleton. As for those cancer-curing claims: “Any claim to cure cancer without clear scientific evidence is breaking the law,” he warns.

Another idea? Drink your coffee.

Verdict: Fad.

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Just drink your coffee, guys. Picture: Kit Wise Source: News Corp Australia

LEMON IN WATER Sipping water with a squeeze of lemon in the morning is said to help you lose weight, boost your metabolism, detox the liver (there’s that term again), improve digestion and clear up your skin. This one has been around for a while, but does that mean it actually works?

“There’s some research that shows if you have lemon in water before or with a meal it changes the pH of your gut a bit and that can affect the rate of absorption of nutrients and digestion to some degree,” says Aloysa Hourigan from Nutrition Australia.

The same study found having lemon-infused water may lower the glycaemic index of a meal. But that doesn’t mean you can have it with a McDinner to make it healthy — nor does it translate to all those other health claims, she warns.

While it might make your stomach a bit happier, your teeth are going to hate you, says Alldritt. “Lemon juice is very acidic and drinking it in the morning is the absolute worst time to hit your teeth with anything acidic, because your mouth is dehydrated — even if it’s just a tablespoon,” he says. “Acid causes tooth erosion; the more you do it, the more harmful it will be.”

Verdict: Proceed with caution.

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You can ditch the lemon water. Source: Getty Images

ACTIVATED NUTS #Activatedalmonds, anyone? What does that even mean? Soak your nuts for 24 hours, then dry them out at a very low temperature for up to 24 hours in either the oven or a dehydrator. Nuts in their natural state are said to contain phytic acids that put a strain on your digestive system and stop you from absorbing all their nutrients. Soaking them starts the germination process, which kills these phytic acids and unlocks beneficial enzymes.

“Yes, there’s less starch and protein and more sugars and small peptides in germinated nuts. Does this make them more digestible? I don’t think so,” says accredited practising dietitian Catherine Saxelby, from Foodwatch.com.au.

“Our bodies are capable of breaking down starch and protein. Germination does harness enzymes in the almond into production so the new seed can grow, but whether these are the same enzymes we need to digest our food no-one knows.”

Her tip on eating your almonds? Two handfuls a day as part of a balanced diet containing plenty of fruit and veg.

Verdict: Fad.

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Activated almonds. Source: News Corp Australia

FERMENTED FOODS If you haven’t had at least one glass of kombucha by now, then we need to have a serious talk. This sweet tea, fermented with a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, originated in China and is apparently fantastic for digestion, and maintaining the balance of good and bad gut bacteria. Unfortunately, says Crowe, science isn’t quite on board with it yet. “So far no clinical trials have been published in humans. Considering its boutique price premium, unless you plan to make your own, I would be looking elsewhere for my probiotic hit,” he suggests.

Kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir could be a good start. Research has found kimchi can improve cholesterol and blood-glucose levels, unpasteurised sauerkraut is a probiotic, while kefir can improve gut health, blood-glucose control and cholesterol. It also aids lactose digestion and boosts the immune system, says Crowe.

But before you set up a laboratory in your kitchen, know that while fermenting foods might access some nutrients, it’ll also destroy others, says Hourigan. “And you need to be careful that if you do ferment foods, make sure it’s stored properly and sterile, because there’s a risk of botulism,” she warns. “They’re also higher in amines, which is a naturally occurring food chemical and can be a problem for some people.”

Verdict: Fine.

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