Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesAt-Home TreatmentsSafetyHow You Eliminate ToxinsHow It Makes You FeelPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
At-Home Treatments
Safety
How You Eliminate Toxins
How It Makes You Feel
Prevention
“Detoxes” or “cleanses” refer to various diets, programs, regimens, or therapies that claim to remove toxins from the body, aid in weight loss, or promote health.
Through everyday activities, people are exposed to chemicals, pollutants, heavy metals in food, and other environmental toxins. The premise for doing a detox is to eliminate these harmful toxins. However, there’s little research that proves prepackaged detox regimes, products, and programs effective or even necessary.
This article discusses the safety and efficacy of various detoxes, how they might work, and how your body naturally detoxifies.
Roos Koole / Getty Images
Types of Detox or Cleanse Diets
Proceed With CautionSome detox programs or supplements can be unsafe and promote false claims.
Proceed With Caution
Some detox programs or supplements can be unsafe and promote false claims.
Ways to Detox and Cleanse the Body at Home
Despite myriad detox programs and products on the market, the body is remarkable at cleansing and healing itself. Multiple organs and organ systems continually work to remove toxins from the body.
There are ways to support your body’s natural detoxification system, including:
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How Safe Are Cleanse Diets and Kits?
There is little long-term research on the safety of cleanse diets and kits. Some studies suggest possible adverse effects of cleanses or detox diets. Many detox diets are liquid-based, low in calories, and low in nutrients.
Detox diets may increase stress,raise cortisol levels, and increase appetite. Additionally, no regulatory body reviews their efficacy and safety or approves such products. Some detox and cleanse products have even been found to contain illegal and potentially harmful ingredients.
Take the following warnings from the National Institute of Health (NIH) into consideration before purchasing detox or cleanse products:
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Flushing Toxins: How Does the Body Eliminate Toxins
There are several ways that the body naturally flushes toxins from the body. Various organs and organ systems help the body eliminate toxins from chemicals you may be exposed to at work, at home, through personal care products, or your food.
Liver
Kidneys
Digestive System
Your digestive system works to eliminate toxins in several ways. It can expel the toxic substance via vomit or diarrhea. The cells lining the inside of your digestive tract have enzymes that support detoxification, which convert harmful substances into less harmful substances that can be eliminated from the body.
Lungs
Your lungs are self-cleaning organs that filter and expel toxins that you breathe in, such as smoke, pollution, and viruses.
Skin
Your skin expels toxins through sweat, including heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
How Does a Detox Cleanse Make You Feel?
While many detox diets promise a sense of well-being and feeling good, the method and products can produce various adverse side effects.
If the detox diet recommends limiting or eliminating calories and foods, you may experience the following:
If the detox includes ingesting salt water, herbal teas, laxatives, or diuretics, you may experience the following:
Summary
Detox diets and cleanses are “quick fixes” to help rid the body of toxins or promote short-term weight loss. While the promised results are alluring, detoxes and cleanse products or kits are unnecessary and can be harmful, especially because they are unregulated.
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Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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