6 minute read
ON DETOXING
WRITTEN BY CAMERON SHAW DESIGNED BY DEJA BOONE
Detoxes have become a huge trend in recent years with mainstream celebrities promoting them and people paying hundreds of dollars for products that promise to help them cleanse their bodies, lose weight and improve their health. Specific definitions for detox can vary, but most people tend to agree that detoxes are intended to remove toxins from your body in an effort to improve overall health. Many advocates view detoxes as a way to reset and give their bodies a fresh start and the narrative has certainly been promoted by celebrities and influencers, who may or may not actually use the products they are paid to advertise. However, there has been a lot of disagreement about whether detoxes are actually beneficial
Two of the most popular types of detoxes are detox teas and juice cleanses.
Yogi, a tea company, sells a selection of “Yogi DeTox Teas” which their website claims “support healthy cleansing.” Yogi references their use of traditional herbs and ingredients from Ayurveda, a thousands-year-old holistic Indian medical system, but provides no actual evidence or explanation of how this works. As required by law, they admit on their website that the FDA has not evaluated their claims.
Weight loss product company Flat Tummy Co, which has been promoted by many celebrity influencers including the Kardashians and Amber Rose, also offers detox tea in addition to a variety of other products. On their website they claim their goal is to help women “look and feel like the best versions of themselves.” However, given the name “Flat Tummy Co” it seems clear that their goal is much more focused on attaining a certain aesthetic.
This seems to be a common theme with detox teas. Despite claiming that their products are meant to help with bloating and sluggishness, brands with names like SkinnyFit, Skinny Tea and Flat Tummy Co are clearly focused on weight loss, not “detoxing”, and advertise their products by claiming they will help women achieve a certain body type.
Flat Tummy Co’s “Flat Tummy Tea,” which is marketed as a detox tea, claims to “boost energy, speed metabolism and reduce bloating.” They offer two or four week programs where participants drink their tea in the morning and at night. Their website, like Yogi’s, references traditional use as an explanation for why their products work, but offers no actual science. Flat Tummy Co admits that different people will have different results and the FDA has not verified any of their claims.
Another popular type of detox is a juice cleanse. Pressed, a juice company, offers four full-day and three half-day cleanses. Although they do not specify how many days your cleanse should last, most people choose three days. The full-day cleanses are $34.50 and include six juices which you should drink every two hours with no additional food. Pressed’s website claims that their cleanses will “give your digestive system a break,” but there is no evidence to support that this is true or that your digestive system even needs a break. All of the Pressed cleanses are well below the bare minimum calorie requirement of 1,200 calories a day for women and 1,500 for men suggested by Harvard Health Publishing. The
PHOTO COURTESTY OF UNSPLASH.COM
most extreme cleanse provides only 710 calories. These cleanses seem more likely to trigger disordered eating than provide a healthy option.
Despite all of the claims made by these companies, there is no evidence that detox teas or juice cleanses are actually beneficial, and it is very difficult for scientists to debunk the vague statements. No specific toxins or processes are mentioned and, as a result, very few studies have been done on the effects of detox diets. The studies that have been done were low quality in terms of design, size and peer review according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Your body is able to detox itself with natural processes in the liver, kidney and other organs. According to the American Liver Foundation, the best ways to support your liver, one of your body’s main detox organs, are to stay hydrated, eat a balanced diet, exercise and avoid chemicals and alcohol.
Additionally, there is emerging coverage of cases where cleanses caused harm. One case suggested that Yogi Detox herbal tea may have caused liver failure in a 60-year-old woman. In another case, a woman developed severe hyponatremia (dangerously low blood sodium levels) after using a detox tea. In both of these cases, the women had been drinking detox tea two or three times a day for two to four weeks. Doctors hypothesized that the detox tea caused the patients’ conditions because the patients had no related medical history and no other significant dietary changes.
Many detox teas contain diuretics or laxatives to achieve the anti-bloating and weight loss effects their customers are after, which can have many harmful results. Some side effects of diuretics and laxatives include electrolyte imbalance, acid-base disorders, dehydration and nutrient deficiencies.
In terms of weight loss, no specific studies have been done. However, much of the weight loss that occurs with detoxes comes as a result of laxatives, dehydration or extremely low calorie consumption, all of which tend to be temporary and unhealthy ways to lose weight. Diets in general have a weight loss success rate of only about 20% or less. Despite claims that they are healthy, detoxes are actually extremely stressful on your body. People lose weight during detoxes because of dangerous caloric deficits, which can slow down people’s metabolisms and increase their appetites. This may result in binge eating and long-term weight gain.
Part of the reason detoxes and cleanses have been so successful in a business sense is because they use a narrative we have become accustomed to. People are constantly looking for an easy way to improve their health and shed weight. Detox diet marketing feeds off people’s body insecurities to the point that people are willing to spend any amount of money for a simple fix. The detox industry has been incredibly successful, worth over $51 billion globally in 2019 and continuing to grow.
Detoxes and cleanses are not the solution to your health problems or body image issues. There is no evidence that they will help rid your body of unspecified toxins, improve your health or help you lose weight. In fact, detoxes can have many negative side effects including malnourishment, electrolyte imbalances and longterm weight loss. Detox and cleanse companies have manipulated social media to convince people that eating disorder behaviors are healthy, using celebrities and fitness influencers to promote their products. If you truly want to improve your health, assuming that you don’t have a medical condition, adopting a balanced diet, hydration and exercise is the solution.
Additionally, there is no reason to strive for the unrealistic body goals perpetuated by detoxes. These “perfect” socially-constructed bodies are not necessarily healthy and being consumed with these false images can be very harmful. You should love your body and all it does for you, not deprive it of essential nourishment.
