Detox diets to kick-start the New Year are a 'total waste of money' say experts
By
Beth Hale and
Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 6:53 AM on 05th January 2009
Left to its own devices, the body is capable of getting rid of most toxins it takes in, say scientists
Detox diets being used by tens of thousands to
kick-start their new year are a waste of money,
according to scientists.
It is reckoned that almost three-quarters of the
population resolved to begin 2009 with some kind of
diet, and many of those will have chosen a detox plan.
Others are using myriad health and beauty products
with a detox label. But experts who collaborated for a
study warn that in many cases consumers are being misled
into believing they actually work.
Marketing men have ensured that 'detox' is applied to
products as diverse as body brushes, facial washes and
smoothies.
The scientists, however, say the term detox has no
meaning outside the treatment for drug addiction or
poisoning and the body is capable of looking after
itself.
Anyone wanting to counter the effects of festive over-indulgence would be better off relying on a few age-old remedies - easing off the alcohol, eating sensibly, exercising and getting a good night's sleep.
Left to its own devices the skin, kidneys, liver and
lymphatic system combine to make the body capable of
getting rid of most toxins it takes in.
Sir Colin Berry, a professor of pathology at Queen
Mary, University of London, said: 'It's easy to detox:
just let your body use the great systems it has evolved
over thousands of years to get rid of whatever is
harming you.'
A panel of biologists, chemists and physicists from
Voice of Young Science - an organisation representing
young scientists - investigated products marketed using
the word detox.
They found that not only did no two companies use the
same definition of the word, manufacturers using the
term to promote everything from foot patches to shampoo
were unable to provide reliable evidence or consistent
explanations of what the detox process means.
In some cases firms were simply adding the label to
items long-used for cleaning without the tag.
Products under the microscope included Boots Detox 5
Day Plan, which contains fruit- flavoured drinks and
tablets said to 'leave you feeling revitalised' along
with a simple £4.40 body brush, labelled a 'Detox Body
Brush'.
Report author Harriet Ball, a biologist, said: 'Detox
is marketed as the idea that modern living fills us with
invisible nasties our bodies can't cope with unless we
buy the latest jargon-filled remedy. Our investigation
has convinced us there is little or no proof these
products work.'
Charity Sense About Science, which published the
report, is launching a Debunking Detox leaflet to help
consumers.