Does Science Support Detox Diets And Does Your Health Truly Benefit From Them?

Detox diets have become the next big trend, and they are basically eating plans that are created to help “detoxify” the body from unwanted or otherwise “toxic” substances. They have also become highly popular amongst health buffs and those working towards improving their health. But the question remains, are they actually beneficial to your health or do they cause more harm?

One of the more common ways to promote diet plans is by saying it’s a way to detox the body. Like most diets, they normally involve restricting one’s diet, as well as using supplements with tons of herbs and nutrients.

Although detox diets are highly common and popular with those in the “wellness world,” some of these so-called detox diets are both unneeded and can even turn out to be more harmful to one’s health overall.

Here, we’ll take a look at detox diets, what science says about them, and if they offer actual health benefits.

Does the Body Actually Detox, And How?

The body works continuously to remain healthy by constantly removing particular substances that can be harmful to the body via detoxification.

The body has its own detoxification system, one that’s incredibly complex and that uses a number of organs like the kidneys, liver, and skin in the detoxification process.

The body’s normal metabolic processes create toxins endogenously, which means that they are produced or grown from deep tissue or caused within an organism or system. But the body also procures them exogenously, which is when it is exposed to medications and chemicals found in the environment or in food.

In order for the body to go through detoxification, it needs to go through biotransformation, which is a metabolic process ‘during which the alteration of the chemical structure of toxic substances renders them inactive.’ This is when the body can excrete the toxic substances.

There are other factors that the body must take into consideration in order for it to be able to detoxify too. Such factors are those like sex, age, genetics, health conditions, diet and medications.

For example, since most of the detoxification processes take place within the liver cells of the body, liver disease can stop or hinder the detoxification process. When this happens, there is a buildup of harmful substances within the body like ammonia.

So What Are Detox Diets?

Although the body goes through its own detox process via biotransformation, there are still those that claim that detox diets are the way to get to optimal toxin elimination, which will then encourage weight loss, as well as improve their overall health.

Most of these programs tend to use such programs like juice fasting, strict vegan diets, liquid diets, fasting, supplementation or other types of diets that supposedly work to detoxify the body.

Some detox programs encourage certain programs or practices that could actually be quite dangerous to the system, such as coffee enemas where a person does cleansing by administering coffee through the rectum to flush out toxins. But what researchers have found is that those that do self-administered coffee enemas end up having severe side effects such as electrolyte imbalances, rectal burns, and worse, rectal perforation. In fact, this practice can even lead to death in some rare cases.

While there are various claims from people that create detox diets, as well as detox diet advocates saying that they improve one’s health exponentially, a large number of these detox programs do not have actual clinical evidence that supports their claims, supports the diet’s safety or it’s effectivity.

Moreover, detox diet programs can also be quite costly with most of them demanding the use of herbs and other dietary supplements.

There are also tons of detox diets available online that use plant-based detoxes, or the more common and popular juice and smoothie ones.

Notably, there are a large number of detox diets that are not harmful to one’s health, mostly because they are only followed for a number of days and usually incorporate plant-based diets such as juices and smoothies. Yet, there are some detox diets that enforce either lengthened periods of time for fasting, or very extreme calorie counting or restrictions, as well as the use of herbal supplements and cleansing enemas that can have precarious side effects that can eventually lead to possible negative long-time health implications.

Are Detox Diets Truly Helpful?

While experts say that detox diets are unnecessary, it doesn’t mean that the food people eat doesn’t affect their body or it’s built in detoxification system. The body collects damaging substances and elements from their environment, such as heavy metals like mercury and other persistent organic pollutants, also known as POPs, that are linked to chronic illnesses.

POPs are also called “forever chemicals” and are described as environmental contaminants that can be found in soil, food and even water. They amass in body fat and are linked to oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and an increased chance of mortality.

Despite the body’s ability to detoxify itself, when individuals follow diets that are considered nutritious while limiting their vulnerability to toxic substances found in food and the environment, they can also further support the organs that are needed for biotransformation, which then also promotes better overall health.

But, this doesn’t necessarily support the need for someone to do a detox program. Rather, individuals should assist their body’s personal ability to detoxify itself by eating a well-balanced and healthy diet. As an example, someone that has a protein deficiency will have difficulty detoxifying their body because protein is needed to have enzymatic reactions that are vital for detoxification. Sadly, a number of detox diet plans actually lack the requirements for protein, therefore lessening the body’s capability to adequately detoxify in the first place.

Another vital nutrient that works to enhance the body’s excretion of toxins through stool is fiber. It also works to improve gut barrier function, as well as protect the organs that are used in detoxification from proinflammatory bacteria, which has been linked to a poor diet.

While there is evidence that claims fasting promotes a healthy liver – which is basically the most important organ when detoxifying – it also helps positively increase enzyme functions needed for detoxification.

Detox Diet Studies

While it’s known that a healthy diet is essential for the body’s detoxification system, a number of studies done on commercial detox diets have not produced very optimistic results. Moreover, other research in this area is also insufficient, while the research that is available is linked to a small number of studies that are also poorly designed.

In a 2015 review of a few clinical studies that looked into the effects of detox diets, they found that while there are some positive programs that have shown better liver detoxification and lessened the amount of POPs within the body, the study authors also cite that these studies were faulty due to the small amount of study participants.

Another study, also done in 2015, involved 85 female participants where some were asked to follow a strict low-calorie lemon detox diet using lemon juice and syrups, while the other participants were made to follow a low-calorie placebo diet for just 7 days. While both groups of women lost weight and had reduced insulin levels, the outcome implied that the it was due to the caloric restrictions of both diets and not the detox itself that caused the positive outcomes and improved health.

Moreover, experts warn about the use of supplements as a way of detoxifying the body. Many times, the combined used of herbs and nutrients can often negatively affect the use of prescribed medications given by a health care professional.

In a 2019 study, research involved 22 women that were taking a detox supplement for four weeks with the following ingredients: ‘1,350 milligrams of proprietary blend of papaya leaf, cascara Sagrada bark, slippery elm bark, peppermint leaf, red raspberry leaf, fenugreek seed, ginger root, and Senna leaf.’ Yet after the four weeks were over, the study found no proven health benefits.

While there is research that particular supplements like N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) and particular foods like cruciferous vegetables can have positive effects for the body’s natural detoxification, it’s better to support the organs used for detoxification and the body’s overall health by simply having a nutrient-dense diet that includes the proper amounts of fruits, vegetables and proteins.

What Are the Detox Diet Concerns?

Although there are some detox programs that have proven to be harmless, there are still a lot of concerns on the safety of detox programs that use excessive methods, such as the coffee enema. Other possible harmful detox diet programs include heavy calorie restrictions, fasting for lengthened periods of time, and taking particular dietary supplements that can have negative side effects like weakness, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies and even mood changes.

In addition, there are really some groups of people that should avoid doing detox diets at all costs because of the link to detrimental side effects. These include pregnant or breastfeeding mothers, children and teenagers, individuals with chronic health conditions, individuals who are underweight, individuals that have eating disorders, or anyone with a history of any of these conditions.

Before going on a detox diet, another point to take into consideration is to first seek the advice of a healthcare professional, especially if they are on any form of prescription medication. It’s important to note that having a balanced diet is more crucial to the natural detoxification of the body than following a specialized detox diet. Again, they can not only be very expensive, but there is a chance these detox diets can cause a lack of fundamental nutrients like protein that is required for true biotransformation.

So What’s the Bottom Line?

Despite all these highly popular detox diet crazes that people choose to do, the lack scientific evidence is highly deficient and inadequate.

While there is a ton of research that does promotes following a healthy, well-balanced diet while avoiding smoking, drinking, and exposure to detrimental environmental toxins can encourage and assist with the body’s natural detoxification system, as well as benefit one’s overall health.

Currently, there is still not enough research to prove that detox diets are truly beneficial to one’s health. In fact, a number of them can cause more harm than good.