Detoxifying diets claiming to cleanse, purge, rejuvenate and revitalize are often not medically or scientifically valid, according to an article in Food Technology magazine.
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The authors, a nutritional biochemist and a practicing physician, maintain that healthy adults may feel better and more energetic after such diets because they altered what may have simply been a poor diet.
Results most probably reflect a change in energy balance, burning more calories than ingested, they suggest, adding that the liver, kidneys, gut and immune system are already remarkably effective at eliminating or neutralizing toxic substances within hours of eating or drinking. Moreover, prolonged starvation may slow metabolism and breakdown fat stores, and the negative impact of protein and caloric deprivation and other possible conditions likely far outweigh any benefits.
