Everyone Is Talking About Detoxing. Here's What It Actually Means.
IF ANYTHING NEEDS a detox, it's social media influencers finger-wagging that it's about time you detoxed.
While the idea of life with a toxin-riddled body doesn't sound good, the whole concept of a detox is a little murky. What are we trying to get rid of here and what is a detox, exactly?
It's important to point this out upfront: While there are some medical uses for detoxes in certain situations (like taking activated charcoal after you've been poisoned), detoxing with the help of certain supplements or juices is kind of bogus and can be dangerous.
Still, plenty of people claim that a good detox will help set you right after days of bad eating, struggling with insulin resistance, or dealing with excess weight. But before you decide to go on juice cleanse or fasting diet in the name of detoxing, there are a few things you should know. A dietitian and toxicologists break it down.
There are a lot of different versions of detoxes out there, but they usually claim to help remove toxins from your body, while boosting your health and helping you lose weight, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). What those toxins are, exactly, usually remains murky.
Detoxes come in a wide range of forms, including fasting, juice cleanses, herbal remedies, supplements, colon cleanses, sauna regimens, and more.
Again, there are some select medical reasons to detox. 'In traditional medicine, 'detox' may also refer to the process of weaning patients off of alcohol or other addictive substances,' says Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, a toxicologist at MedStar Health. 'Chelation therapy is a form of medical detoxification that involves the administration of medications to bind heavy metals or other toxins so that they can be more effectively eliminated from the human body.'
But that's not what these online claims and treatments are talking about. 'Detox is not legitimate, not in the way it's sold,' says Scott Keatley, RD, co-owner of Keatley Medical Nutrition Therapy. Your body actually has its own built-in detoxification system—your liver, kidneys, lungs, digestive tract, skin, he explains. 'These work 24/7 to neutralize and eliminate harmful substances,' Keatley says. 'There's no credible evidence that a tea, juice, or supplement can enhance or speed up this process.'
Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, agrees. 'At this time, there is no scientific evidence to recommend a cleanse for most people,' she says. 'Our liver was built to remove toxins, and generally, the liver does a great job detoxifying our bodies.'
At minimum, a detox may be a waste of your money. But they can also be harmful to your health. Johnson-Arbor points to a 2023 TikTok trend that encouraged people to eat or bathe in borax to ease inflammation and detox as an example. 'Borax, a laundry booster, is not meant to be consumed by humans and can cause stomach irritation, vomiting, and diarrhea when eaten,' she says. 'Bathing in borax can lead to skin rashes, irritation, and itching.'
There have also been claims that having activated charcoal or n-acetylcysteine can help with an everyday detox. 'These can be effective in limiting the toxic effects of certain substances on the human body, but are unproven as general detoxification methods,' Johnson-Arbor says. 'For example, activated charcoal does not bind to alcohol or certain metals, and most oral forms of n-acetylcysteine are poorly absorbed by the human body, which limits their use for detoxification purposes.'
There's probably a reason why you're even considering a detox, and that's important to explore. 'If you're feeling sluggish or 'off,' forget the gimmicks and focus on supporting your body's actual detox systems,' Keatley says. 'That means eating enough fiber from whole foods—veggies, fruits, legumes—drinking adequate water, limiting alcohol, getting sufficient sleep, and moving your body regularly.'
If you feel like you need a reset, he suggests spending a week consistently eating meals that focus on lean proteins, vegetables, and whole grains with minimal added sugar versus drinking cayenne lemonade or something similar.
If that doesn't do the trick, Alan recommends seeing a doctor for an evaluation. You could be dealing with symptoms of an underlying health condition, like diabetes, a thyroid issue, or an electrolyte imbalance, Johnson-Arbor says. That's not something a supplement or juice cleanse will fix.
'There are rare cases, like exposure to heavy metals or certain drugs, where clinical detox is necessary,' Keatley says. 'But that happens in hospitals, not your kitchen.'
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