The Detox Myth

Several factors influence how much of a chemical ends up in our system requiring detoxification by the liver. The gut initially provides a physical barrier to external toxins, but is also the second major site in the body for detoxification. Detoxification enzymes are found in high concentration in the villi of the intestines. There is also evidence that links poor gut health to an increased toxic load. Good gut bacteria can produce compounds that either inhibit or induce detoxification activities; bad bacteria can also produce toxins that can enter circulation and increase toxic load.

A Healthy balanced diet - the new detox diet!

3) Stock up on foods containing sulphur - Sulphur supports the body's production of glutathione - a powerful antioxidant. Include foods such as eggs, nuts, legumes, garlic, onions and leeks in your diet.

Today, a diet is classified as 'detox' if it involves making a change to one's eating patterns with the goal of ridding the body of accumulated toxins. Detoxification diets vary, but they usually involve fasting, avoidance of many food groups and /or consumption of cleansing beverages. The two most common types of detox diets are liquid plans and those that start with liquids and then progress to solid foods. Detox diets also vary in duration but typically last from three days to about a month.

2) Keep optimally hydrated - The importance of adequate hydration for detoxification cannot be underestimated. Water facilitates urinary excretion and bowel motility, supports the lymphatic system and replenishes fluid through sweat. Green tea is rich in polyphenols, which are known for their antioxidant activity, and is a good hot drink choice.

Clean eating and detox

​Top five tips.

4) Fill up on fibre - Soluble and insoluble fibre as found in flaxseeds, beans, oats and brown rice can bind to metabolic waste in the gut, carrying them out of the body through the stool. It can also minimise contact with harmful compounds such as acylamides from charred meat by regulating transit time.

In conclusion, detox diets sound like a great concept and would be fabulous if they delivered on all that they promised. Unfortunately, many of the claims made are not based on robust science and are exaggerated. There are well-designed body mechanisms for detoxification and the maintenance of homeostasis. Good nutrition, rich in essential nutrients, helps to ensure a healthy, properly functioning detoxification system. While some detox programmes encourage some positive habits such as drinking more water, reducing alcohol consumption, and eating more fruit and vegetables, the truth is that an active lifestyle and a balanced and varied diet is the best detox diet out there.

Your body is actually an efficient detox machine. The skin - your body's largest organ - provides a barrier to harmful substances. Your airways trap and expel harmful substances and chemicals from pollution, while your intestines screen out harmful organisms whilst allowing nutrients to be absorbed into the blood. The kidneys excrete waste products into the urine - otherwise the main organ involved in the detoxification process is the liver.

​The liver plays several roles in detoxification; it filters the blood to remove toxins (such as alcohol, drugs and insecticides); gets rid of bile and other fat-soluble toxins; and eliminates unwanted chemicals.

​During the detoxification process, free radicals are produced, and if there are too many it can damage the liver cells. Antioxidants (which 'mop up' the free radicals), therefore play a key role in reducing the damage. Poor diet, ageing, stress, radiation and pollution can all deplete antioxidant levels (particularly glutathione which is known as the master detoxifier).​​

Research on using specific foods in clinical practice to aid detoxification is still in its infancy; however, there have been some interesting studies worth noting. For example, lab-based studies have shown that two compounds found in cruciferous vegetables activate detoxification enzymes. The phytochemicals in these vegetables have also been shown to reduce oxidative stress, which is key in preventing damage to cells and the DNA caused by the production of free radicals. In a recent study, 20 participants were encouraged to eat one to two cups of cruciferous vegetables a day. After three weeks, the amount of oxidative stress in their body was measured. Then, after a three week wash-out period, the study participants were told to take a multivitamin with fibre. Again, the level of oxidative stress was measured after three weeks. The results showed that the oxidative stress dropped 22% during the period when they were eating lots of cruciferous vegetables, but the change during the multivitamin segment was negligible (0.2%).

There are no shortages of glowing testimonials from people who have gone on detox diets claiming to feel cleansed, energised and healthier. The literature recognises that the detoxification system in humans is highly complex and is influenced not only by a number of regulatory systems, but has an individual uniqueness and is responsive to individual's environment and lifestyle.

​However, there is no published evidence to suggest that detox treatments, kits or rituals have any effect on our body's ability to eliminate waste products effectively.

​1) Eat at least five a day - A diet high in fruit and vegetables contributes to a wide range of phytochemicals and antioxidants. Include one portion of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale and Brussels sprouts in your diet as this will promote the activity of enzymes that regulate detoxification in the liver.

Source: Linia Patel (BSc Biochemistry and physiology. Fitpro magazine Winter 2015)

It's hard not to be sucked in by the idea that a 'detox' or a 'cleanse' can wash away your calorific sins, flush your system of impurities, and leave your organs squeaky clean and raring to go. Before you dust off your juicer or put orders in for dubious, laxative-based liquids, it's important to explore the idea behind the need to rid our body of toxins. Doesn't the body have its own defences that naturally cleanse our systems?

5) Think about gut bacteria - Beneficial bacteria from fermented vegetables or from supplements inhibit the growth of bad bacteria, which produce ammonia and other 'toxic' metabolites.