In June 2005 I wrote Detox diets don’t work, reporting on a BBC article that laid out fairly clearly that the body’s own natural systems get rid of toxins quite nicely thank you. Having a healthy diet and lifestyle is important, but beyond that, special “detox” kits and plans don’t really do much.
Okey dokey. So roll forward to today, we have the bad and the good. The bad: actress Gwyneth Paltrow informs the world (for reasons best known to herself) via a newsletter that she is going on another detox diet. The good: the BBC in timely manner writes Scientists dismiss 'detox myth'. (Thanks to reader Jimmy Blue for the link.) Whether Paltrow’s newsletters (which include bowel movement advice too, apparently), or her website (Goop.com) are valuable sources of information in general, I’ll leave you to decide. But she’s wrong about the detox. As the BBC article reported, the independent charitable trust Sense About Science (“promoting good science and evidence in public debates”) recently reviewed 15 detox products and found many of their claims were meaningless. Yeah, apparently vendors of detox products were using phrases that sounded scientific but didn’t actually mean anything. Sense About Science just launched its own detox leaflet Debunking Detox (.pdf). As they write:
The leaflet promotes the liver and kidneys as a fantastic ‘detox’ system and explains why there is no need to spend money on expensive products and treatments.
Our bodies have their own ‘detox’ mechanisms. The gut prevents bacteria and many toxins from entering the body. When harmful chemicals do enter the body, the liver acts as an extraordinary chemical factory, usually combining them with its own chemicals to make a water soluble compound that can be excreted by the kidneys. The body thus detoxifies itself. The body is re-hydrated with ordinary tap water. It is refreshed with a good night’s sleep.
These processes do not occur more effectively as a result of taking “detox” tablets, wearing “detox” socks, having a “detox” body wrap, eating Nettle Root extract, drinking herbal infusions or “oxygenated” water, following a special “detox” diet, or using any of the other products and rituals that are promoted. They waste money and sow confusion about how our bodies, nutrition and chemistry actually work.
Sense About Science is an excellent source on science v. woo and skepticism in general. Alternatively, Gwyneth Paltrow will tell you that bowel elimination is paramount for correct detoxification. I know which I'll be reading.