Detox Debunked - Or Not

Whether a result of too much holiday celebration or a change of priorities for the new year, January is always a popular time for dieting, exercise and detoxification.

This makes the debate currently brewing over a forthcoming report debunking detox diets especially timely. Let's sample the arguments for and against, shall we?

SUPPORTERS:

"John Hoskins, an independent environmental toxicologist, said: 'On detox, the Romans got it right: Mundus vult decipi — the world wants to be deceived — better translated as "there’s a sucker born every minute".'
[TimesOnline]

"The British Dietetic Association says detox diets are marketing myths rather than nutritional reality. "Detox is a meaningless term that is used all the time and because it hasn't been defined, it's impossible to say if it has worked or if it hasn't," says a spokesman."
[BBC News]

DISSENTERS:

"Dr Robert Verkerk, of the Alliance for Natural Health, said, 'Sense About Science is utterly misinformed if it thinks there is limited or no scientific evidence showing that particular natural products are able to promote particular metabolic processes that accelerate detoxification.'
[EarthTimes]

"Clearly the body cannot always remove toxins efficiently though. Sometimes there's just too much toxin, other times the body is ill-equipped due to the lack of certain nutrients, especially water...Certain herbs have been known for centuries or millenia to improve liver function and neutralize harmful chemicals.
[Tom Anderson, Free Market News Network]

What does everybody agree on? DRINK LOTS OF WATER.

Filed under detox, diet, detoxification