Do detoxes actually work?

Is there any benefit to detox supplements? There could be some placebo effect, where you think you're feeling better. But it's more likely because you are exercising more and eating healthier. There are very few, if any, well-designed scientific studies that show a benefit to detox supplements .

Can a detox cleanse help you lose weight?

There may be early weight loss because you start out consuming fewer calories . But detox diets tend to lead to weight gain once you resume a normal diet. Detox diets can also have risks. The FDA has charged several companies for selling detox/cleansing products that contain harmful ingredients.

How much weight can you lose on 3 day detox cleanse?

In fact, many people lose 4 to 5 lbs following 3-day juice diets. Detox diets involve eating more antioxidant-rich superfoods, while avoiding toxins and sugar. Fruit and vegetable smoothies are quick to prepare and can be made in batches ahead of time.

What comes out of your body when you detox your body?

In theory, the detoxification process involves cleaning out your body of chemicals, pollutants, and other “toxins” that can negatively impact your health. However, the truth is that healthy bodies are able to do this on their own through the kidneys, liver, digestive system, and skin.

How much weight will I lose on a 3 day water fast?

We watched hundreds of videos on 3 day water fasts and people reported losing between 4.5 lbs to 12 lbs on their fast. This depends on a lot of factors including starting weight and height. The three-day water fast can be a powerful tool for natural healing, weight loss, and overall well-being.

How can I lose 10 pounds in a week?

To lose 10 pounds in one week, you'll need to burn between 3,500 and 5,000 calories more than you consume each day by restricting your diet to small portions of nutritious yet low-calorie foods, and significantly increasing your aerobic exercise with interval training, sports, and other vigorous activities.

How to lose 10 pounds in 3 days?

To lose 10 pounds in 3 days would mean decreasing your calorie intake by 35,000 calories in just 3 days ! The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends a slow and steady weight loss of no more than 1/2 to 1 pound a week. Otherwise you are losing muscle and water, as well as weakening your bones.

How to lose 5 lbs in a week?

Losing 5 pounds a week comes to reducing your food intake by 3500 calories over seven days. The value that represents the decrease in calorie intake is known as the calorie deficit. If you want to lose 5 pounds in a week, you will need to reduce your food intake by 17,500 calories , which is a huge calorie deficit.

How long should a detox diet last?

Lasting anything from 24 hours to a few weeks , 'detox' diets vary but often involve: Fasting for short periods. Eating only fruit and vegetables, or their juices. Cutting out major food groups, such as wheat/gluten and dairy.

What happens to your body when you detox diet?

You'll be hungry and may feel weak . Whether or not a detox diet is safe depends on the plan and how long you stay on it. Most people don't feel good on low-calorie, nutrient-poor diets. Potential side effects include low energy, low blood sugar, muscle aches, fatigue, feeling dizzy or lightheaded, and nausea.

Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work? (2024)

Your body is capable of cleansing itself without detox diets. However, other aspects of cleanses, including eating nutritious whole foods, may have benefits.

Do Detox Diets and Cleanses Really Work? (1)

Detoxification (detox) diets are more popular than ever.

These diets claim to cleanse your blood and eliminate harmful toxins from your body.

However, it is not entirely clear how they do this, what specific compounds they’re supposed to eliminate, and if they even work.

Read on for a detailed review of detox diets, including their benefits and side effects.

What is a detox?

Detox diets are generally short-term dietary interventions designed to eliminate toxins from your body.

A typical detox diet involves a period of fasting, followed by a strict diet of fruit, vegetables, fruit juices, and water. Sometimes a detox also includes herbs, teas, supplements, and colon cleanses or enemas.

This claims to:

rest your organs by fasting
stimulate your liver to get rid of toxins
promote toxin elimination through feces, urine, and sweat
improve circulation
provide your body with healthy nutrients

Detox therapies are most commonly recommended because of potential exposure to toxic chemicals in the environment or your diet. These include pollutants, synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, and other harmful compounds.

These diets also claim to help improve your immune system, digestion, energy levels, and aide in weight loss.

However, human research on detox diets is lacking, and the handful of studies that exist are significantly flawed.

The most common ways to detox

There are many ways to do a detox diet — ranging from total starvation fasts to simpler food modifications.

Which toxins are eliminated?

Detox diets rarely identify the specific toxins they aim to remove. The mechanisms by which they work are also unclear.

In fact, there is little to no evidence that detox diets remove any toxins from your body.

What’s more, your body is capable of cleansing itself through the liver, feces, urine, and sweat. Your liver makes toxic substances harmless, then ensures that they’re released from your body.

Despite this, there are a few chemicals that may not be as easily removed by these bodily processes, including persistent organic pollutants (POPs), phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), and heavy metals.

These tend to accumulate in fat tissue or blood and can take a very long time — even years — for your body to flush.

However, these compounds generally are removed from or limited in commercial products today.

Overall, there is little evidence that detox diets help eliminate any of these compounds.

How effective are these diets?

Some people report feeling more focused and energetic during and after detox diets.

However, this improved well-being may simply be due to eliminating processed foods, alcohol, and other unhealthy substances from your diet.

You may also be getting vitamins and minerals that were lacking before.

That said, many people also report feeling very unwell during the detox period.

Effects on weight loss

Very few scientific studies have investigated how detox diets impact weight loss.

While some people may lose a lot of weight quickly, this effect seems to be due to loss of fluid and carb stores rather than fat. This weight is usually regained quickly once you go off the cleanse.

An older 2015 study examined Korean women who had overweight while on the lemon detox diet. This diet limits you to a mixture of organic maple or palm syrups and lemon juice for seven days.

The results showed that the diet significantly reduced body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist-to-hip ratio, waist circumference, markers of inflammation, insulin resistance, and circulating leptin levels.

If a detox diet involves severe calorie restriction, it will typically cause weight loss and improve metabolic health. However, it is important to remember that it is unlikely to help you keep weight off in the long term.

Detox diets, short-term fasting, and stress

Several varieties of detox diets may have effects similar to those of short-term or intermittent fasting.

Short-term fasting may improve various disease markers in some people, including improved leptin and insulin sensitivity.

However, these effects do not apply to everyone. Research shows that detox diets can lead to increased stress and binge eating.

Potential benefits

A few aspects of detox diets may have health benefits, such as:

avoiding dietary sources of heavy metals and POPs
avoiding processed foods
drinking more water

However, these aspects are generally linked to improved health, regardless of whether you are on a detox diet.

Safety and side effects

Before doing any sort of detox, it is important to consider the possible side effects.

Possible side effects of a detox diet include:

Severe calorie restriction

Several detox diets recommend fasting or severe calorie restriction. Short-term fasting and limited calorie intake can result in fatigue, irritability, and bad breath.

Long-term fasting can result in energy, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies, electrolyte imbalance, and even death.

Colon cleansing methods, which are sometimes recommended during detoxes, can cause dehydration, cramping, bloating, nausea, and vomiting.

Overdosing

Some detox diets may pose the risk of overdosing on supplements, laxatives, diuretics, and even water.

There is a lack of regulation and monitoring in the detox industry, and many detox foods and supplements may not have any scientific basis.

In the worst cases, the ingredient labels of detox products may be inaccurate. This can increase your risk of overdosing, potentially resulting in serious and even fatal effects.

At-risk populations

Certain people should not begin any detox or calorie-restricting regimens without consulting a doctor first.

This includes at-risk populations, such as:

adolescents
older adults
those who are malnourished
those who are pregnant or breastfeeding or chestfeeding
those who have blood sugar issues, such as diabetes
those with an eating disorder

Frequently Asked Questions

What foods to eat when detoxing?

When detoxing, it is typically suggested to eat foods such as vegetables, fruits, lean protein, seeds, and nuts. A detox diet may also involve avoiding highly processed foods.

What is the 3 day detox diet?

The 3 day detox diet involves only drinking beverages such as specific smoothies and herbal teas for 3 days. While this diet claims to help improve your overall health and energy levels, there is little to no evidence to support this.

What is the best way to detox your body?

The best way to detox your body is to let it flush out toxins naturally. The body is equipped with its own effective detoxing processes. Methods that support these natural processes include exercising, getting enough sleep, staying hydrated, and limiting processed foods and alcohol (if you drink).

The bottom line

Your body is frequently exposed to toxic substances. However, most of the time, it can remove them without additional help.

While detox diets may seem tempting, their benefits likely have nothing to do with removing toxins, but rather with eliminating various unhealthy foods.

A more beneficial approach can involve eating healthier and improving your lifestyle rather than going on a potentially dangerous cleanse.