Is it time to ditch the detox?

For many of us, a new year brings the opportunity to discard our unhealthy habits of old and to embark on a fresh, vibrant and cleaner lifestyle.

So what better way to start than with a few days of self-imposed detoxification? To aid our pursuit of a trimmer and purer body, there are countless goods that are suddenly brought to our attention which all promise to make us look and feel great. “Miracle” detox products such as vitamin supplements, bottled water, foot patches and shampoos, are endorsed by celebrities eager to profit from this multi-million pound industry.

This then leads us to an obvious question - do detox products and diets actually work?

Well, in a word, no. We are subjected to toxic substances all the time, consuming them via the food we eat, the fluid we drink and the air we breathe. Most, if not all, toxins are neutralised by our own bodies where they are transported to the liver, broken down and then filtered out by the kidneys.

A brief period of abstinence from our favourite “toxic evils” like caffeine, meat and alcohol may slightly reduce the workload of the liver, but the difference is negligible.

As for the vast array of detox products which bombard us in cyberspace and clog up the shop shelves, scientific research continues to reaffirm what we already know deep down – the detox phenomenon is purely marketing hyperbole.

Don’t despair however, for we can still reverse the effects of our Christmas overindulgence by following three tried and tested methods:-

1. 1. Eat more healthily
2. 2. Increase our activity levels
3. 3. Get more sleep Simple, cheap and we knew it all along.

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