Do “Detox” Diets Really Work?
After the junk-food binge of the holidays, many people look to so-called “detox diets” to flush toxins out of their systems and get back on track to eating healthy. But many doctors say that these diets are misleading, that they do not, in fact, have detoxifying effects, and can in some cases be dangerous. Detox diets, like the popular “Master Cleanse,” drastically restrict dieters to a regimen of primarily liquids (such as lemonade) for several days, and sometimes include taking laxatives, enemas, and colonic irrigation. They claim that as we go about our daily lives, our bodies accumulate toxins such as artificial sweeteners, sugars, alcohol, and caffeine, and that going on a detox diet can flush these toxins out of our bodies. Many doctors, however, say that the science behind these claims is deeply flawed. The body already has mechanisms for flushing toxins from the body, they say, and there is no evidence that detox diets enhance these detoxifying effects. Detox diets may not, in
