Recently the BBC announced that detox diets are "useless" and your organs are perfectly able to cleanse the body without any active outside help. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-425739/Detox-diets-useless-say-researchers.html]
Junk Science & Cleansing Your Body
I am referring to the BBC "study" as junk science, but actually there wasn't much science to it at all. The human guinea pigs were 10 women between the ages of 19 and 33. Five of them supposedly did not consume "processed foods, salt, sugar, tea, coffee, wheat, red meat, dairy produce, alcohol or fizzy drinks" while the other five ate 'normally' [whatever that means]. At the end of a week, their liver and kidneys were tested, along with some antioxidant levels.
"At the end of this test, they were tested and the researchers found no difference between the groups for their liver and kidney functions or their vitamin levels".
This is a laughable "scientific test" on many levels:
1. First of all, 10 people are a ridiculously small number for a sample. There have been other research efforts with thousands of test subjects that indicated completely opposite effects.
2. We have no idea if the five test subjects actually followed through with their commitment.
3. Simply ceasing fizzy drinks, etc., simply means that no more poison was added to the body – it doesn't necessarily supply any support for actual cleaning. I use the word 'supposedly' because we have no idea at all what actually went into their bodies. And that is the point!
4. Most importantly of all is the time involved in this pseudo experiment. The participants were 19-33, so that makes the average age 26. Twenty six years = 9,290 days of life. And there were no major changes in seven measly days? How surprising! Can anyone seriously suggest that a liver, for example, is going to become an entire new organ in such a brief time?
5. These so-called test subjects are fairly young. Perhaps their bodies are mostly competent at throwing off toxins – but what about when they're 40? 50? 60? 70? Will loading junk into their bodies for a few more decades affect their liver or kidneys ability to eliminate poisons? Clearly it will.
The BBC should be [but most likely isn’t] embarrassed and ashamed to make such silly claims based on such weak 'evidence'.
Detox Diets & Asinine Arguments
Clearly this argument has resonated with many folks on both sides of the "detox-don't detox" diet debate. I found one forum with multiple pages of arguments. While I didn't count, there were somewhere between 100 – 200 posts, many of which had degenerated to name calling, jeering and claims of the idiocy, gullibility and stupidity on the other side.
This is as silly as the BBC story. There is one – and only one – authority on detoxing: your very own body. To anyone with serious questions about detox diets and cleansing your body this is the best advice you will get: try it for yourself. See how your body likes it. How do you feel? Better or worse? If you listen carefully, your very own body will give you all the answers you need. The rest is all moonshine and nonsense.
Pierre-Luc Dagenais says
Well, i’d say that in the world we live today, we must watch with attention our diet because it is too easy to harm our system. McDonald’s are everywhere, etc. Sure our body isn’t “supposed” to require a specific diet but actually, it might be an excellent idea to follow one, for your own good!
Dave@ iPhone Insurance says
To Detox or not Detox, that quite a question really and seemingly from this post the BBC seems to be saying No, but, with very little ground for coming to that decision!
As you rightly mention in this post, ten is not enough to provide realistic figures, but enough material to fill a slot in the TV schedule!
Hiral says
Detox is not a flop concept. It is very much workable. Every organ possesses the ability to detoxify itself, yet when the load is too much, we have to help our body cleanse it. If our body could always function optimally, we would never fall ill and never have to consume any medicines. And the same goes for Detox. We have to help our body help itself.^_^xD