Consumers are being conned into spending money on unproven andpotentially dangerous detoxification programs, Australian andinternational scientists have said.
Many people are visiting health food shops and pharmacieslooking for antidotes to Christmas and New Year overindulgence,such as week-long detox "kits". But scientists say our bodies arecapable of recovering from binges on their own.
"There have been no robust clinical trials of any detoxprograms," said Marc Cohen, professor of complementary medicine atRMIT University. "I think detox is more sales pitch thanscience."
Some programs that claim to "eliminate toxins" or improve liver,kidney or colon functions are wrong and dangerous, causing sodiumdepletion and dehydration, other experts have said.
Associate Professor Simone Strasser, a liver specialist andchairwoman of the Digestive Health Foundation, said the liver,kidneys and colon effectively converted toxic substances intoharmless byproducts and flushed chemicals out through urination andsweating.
These automatic, natural processes could not be enhanced orstimulated by detox products such as juices, purging, colonics,clays, scrubs, fasting, patches, diets and various herbalsupplements, she said. "Some programs recommend a severelyrestricted diet that does not contain essential nutrients andprovide dietary advice for which there is no rationale.
"Excessive water intake, particularly in the presence ofinadequate salt intake, laxatives and diuretics can lead todangerously low levels of sodium in the blood that can lead toseizures or coma."
An investigation by British charity Sense About Science,released last week, found many so-called detox products werediuretics or laxatives, or just fancy names for ordinary tools suchas brushes. Researchers tested the marketing claims of 15 products,including facial cleansers and foot patches, and found noscientific evidence to support the manufacturers' claims.
Louise Hall