--- topic: "Detox Diets and Teas" title: "Do Detox Diets and Teas Work?" order: 1 description: "What research shows about detox diets, teas and supplements, the documented risks of laxative and diuretic products, and the foods with real evidence." question: "Do detox diets, teas, and supplements actually remove toxins?" answer: "Detox diets, teas and supplements may not work: no trial shows they remove toxins beyond what your body already clears, and laxative ones carry risks." actions: - "Build habits that support your body's clearance: 25–29 g of fibre a day, where pooled risk reduction was greatest [7], and up to 800 g of fruit and vegetables [12]." - "Add cruciferous vegetables: a standardised broccoli sprout drink raised urinary excretion of two airborne-pollutant metabolites in a 12-week trial of 291 adults [6]. See our [broccoli article](/broccoli/glucosinolates-cancer-prevention-and-gut-health)." - "For exposure worries such as lead, mercury or BPA, find and reduce sources and ask a doctor about validated blood or standard urine tests, not hair or provoked-urine tests [3][4]." cautions: - "Detox teas with senna, laxatives or diuretics can cause life-threatening fluid and electrolyte loss [5]; heavy senna tea linked to liver failure [9]; seek care for severe diarrhoea or palpitations." - "Cleanse and weight-loss supplements bought online may hide drugs: sibutramine, an unapproved ingredient, was found in 85% of adulterated weight-loss products flagged by the FDA from 2007 to 2016 [10]." - "Pregnant, breastfeeding, living with kidney or liver disease, a history of an eating disorder, or taking prescription medicines? Avoid detox teas and cleanse programmes unless your clinician agrees." confidence: 2 confidenceNote: "No randomised trials of commercial detox diets exist, and the best evidence is narrow trials of single foods plus case reports of harm from laxatives, so conclusions are limited." evidenceSummary: rctCount: 1 observationalCount: 3 metaAnalysisCount: 2 totalParticipants: "300+" replicated: false newestStudyYear: 2019 references: - id: "1" pmid: "25522674" title: "Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence" authors: "Klein AV, Kiat H" year: 2015 journal: "J Hum Nutr Diet" - id: "2" pmid: "27842765" title: "Drug Metabolism in the Liver" authors: "Almazroo OA, Miah MK, Venkataramanan R" year: 2017 journal: "Clin Liver Dis" - id: "3" pmid: "11150111" title: "Assessment of commercial laboratories performing hair mineral analysis" authors: "Seidel S, Kreutzer R, Smith D, et al." year: 2001 journal: "JAMA" - id: "4" pmid: "20354920" title: "American College of Medical Toxicology position statement on post-chelator challenge urinary metal testing" authors: "American College of Medical Toxicology" year: 2010 journal: "J Med Toxicol" - id: "5" pmid: "20687617" title: "Laxative abuse: epidemiology, diagnosis and management" authors: "Roerig JL, Steffen KJ, Mitchell JE, et al." year: 2010 journal: "Drugs" - id: "6" pmid: "24913818" title: "Rapid and sustainable detoxication of airborne pollutants by broccoli sprout beverage: results of a randomized clinical trial in China" authors: "Egner PA, Chen JG, Zarth AT, et al." year: 2014 journal: "Cancer Prev Res (Phila)" - id: "7" pmid: "30638909" title: "Carbohydrate quality and human health: a series of systematic reviews and meta-analyses" authors: "Reynolds A, Mann J, Cummings J, et al." year: 2019 journal: "Lancet" - id: "8" pmid: "22103982" title: "Detoxification in naturopathic medicine: a survey" authors: "Allen J, Montalto M, Lovejoy J, et al." year: 2011 journal: "J Altern Complement Med" - id: "9" pmid: "15956233" title: "Acute liver failure with renal impairment related to the abuse of senna anthraquinone glycosides" authors: "Vanderperren B, Rizzo M, Angenot L, et al." year: 2005 journal: "Ann Pharmacother" - id: "10" pmid: "30646238" title: "Unapproved Pharmaceutical Ingredients Included in Dietary Supplements Associated With US Food and Drug Administration Warnings" authors: "Tucker J, Fischer T, Upjohn L, et al." year: 2018 journal: "JAMA Netw Open" - id: "11" pmid: "22253637" title: "Human excretion of bisphenol A: blood, urine, and sweat (BUS) study" authors: "Genuis SJ, Beesoon S, Birkholz D, et al." year: 2012 journal: "J Environ Public Health" - id: "12" pmid: "28338764" title: "Fruit and vegetable intake and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality-a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of prospective studies" authors: "Aune D, Giovannucci E, Boffetta P, et al." year: 2017 journal: "Int J Epidemiol" --- Probably not. Detox diets, teas and supplements are not shown to remove toxins beyond what your liver and kidneys already clear [1][2]. A critical review found no randomised trials of commercial detox diets [1], hair mineral tests were unreliable and toxicologists advise against "provoked urine" tests [3][4], and laxative or diuretic (water-loss) products can drain fluid and electrolytes [5]. Fibre, vegetables and a few foods, such as broccoli sprouts, have the better evidence for supporting your body's own clearance [6][7]. ## How it works **What they usually are.** A detox plan typically combines restricted eating with herbal teas or supplements, which may act as laxatives or diuretics [5][8]. In a survey of 196 US naturopathic doctors (16.6% response), 92% said they used detoxification therapies, mainly diet changes, cutting environmental exposures and botanicals, and the most common ways of checking success were symptom questionnaires (66%), medical history (54%) and urinary provocative challenge testing (53%) [8]. That shows what is practised, not that it works. **Why you may feel different.** Stimulant laxatives cause fluid, electrolyte and acid-base changes that can involve the kidneys and heart and become life-threatening; stopping them can bring bloating and weight gain, which can reinforce the habit [5]. One extreme case: a woman who drank a litre a day of tea made from 70 g of dried senna fruit for more than three years developed acute liver failure and kidney impairment, and recovered with intensive care [9]. Online weight-loss products can also contain undeclared drugs [10]. **The tests don't help.** Six commercial laboratories analysing one split hair sample differed more than 10-fold for 12 minerals and gave conflicting advice [3]. The American College of Medical Toxicology advises against "provoked" urine metal tests after a chelating drug [4]. **What does have evidence.** Fibre-rich diets and more fruit and vegetables lower risks of heart disease, cancer and early death [7][12]. In a polluted region of China, a standardised broccoli sprout drink increased excretion of benzene and acrolein metabolites; this is a real "detoxication" effect, but for specific compounds only [6]. BPA turned up in the sweat of 16 of 20 people tested, but that study did not show how much sweating contributes to elimination [11]. See our [sulforaphane article](/sulforaphane/nrf2-detox), our guide to [liver support](/liver-cleansing/supporting-detox-pathways), and for metals specifically, [testing and sources](/heavy-metal-detox/sources-and-testing). If you are considering a juice-only plan, read our [juice cleanse article](/juice-cleanses/do-juice-cleanses-detox-your-body). ## The evidence in detail ### Detox diets The critical review looked at whether detox diets are needed, what they involve, whether they work and whether they are dangerous. Clinical evidence was very limited; a few studies reported better liver detoxification or removal of persistent pollutants, but with flawed methods and small samples; preliminary evidence for foods such as coriander, nori and olestra came mostly from animals; and the reviewers found no randomised trials of commercial detox diets in humans [1]. The body's own system is real: the liver converts compounds to more polar forms, and the liver, gut, kidneys and lungs eliminate them [2]. ### Laxatives, diuretics and adulterated products A review of laxative abuse describes four groups of users, from people with eating disorders (10% to 60% of whom misuse laxatives) to middle-aged or older adults who keep using them after constipation because they believe daily bowel movements are necessary. Stimulant laxatives are the most abused class, and medical problems include electrolyte and acid-base disturbance affecting the kidneys and heart [5]. In the FDA tainted-products database for 2007 to 2016, 776 adulterated supplements were identified; 317 (40.9%) were marketed for weight loss and sibutramine was in 269 of them (84.9%). Of 28 products named in warnings more than six months apart, 19 (67.9%) had new unapproved ingredients the second time [10]. The senna case is a single report of extreme intake [9]. ### Testing for "toxins" In the hair analysis study, a split sample from one healthy volunteer was sent to six laboratories that handle 90% of US samples. Reported concentrations differed more than 10-fold for 12 minerals, reference ranges conflicted so that nearly every mineral was classed differently, and the authors advised clinicians not to use the test for individual assessment [3]. The medical toxicology society's statement likewise advises against post-chelator challenge urinary metal testing [4]. ### Foods and habits with evidence In the Qidong trial, 291 adults were randomised for 12 weeks to a beverage delivering 600 micromoles of glucoraphanin and 40 of sulforaphane daily, or placebo. Urinary benzene mercapturic acid rose 61% and acrolein 23% versus placebo (P at or below 0.01), with no change in crotonaldehyde; excretion of the benzene product was higher in people with the GSTT1 gene [6]. It was one standardised drink in one heavily polluted area and measured excretion, not disease. In a study of 20 people, BPA was found in the sweat of 16, sometimes when none was detected in blood or urine; the authors proposed induced sweating as a possible route but showed no health benefit [11]. Per extra 200 g a day of fruit and vegetables, coronary heart disease risk was 8% lower (RR 0.92) and all-cause mortality 10% lower (0.90), with benefits up to 800 g a day [12]. Reviews of 185 prospective studies and 58 trials found 25 to 29 g of fibre a day gave the greatest risk reduction [7]. ### Where the evidence disagrees The detox industry points to small studies of enzyme or pollutant changes [1]. The broccoli trial shows a real, measurable effect on specific compounds [6], yet no study shows that a whole detox programme improves health, and the practitioner survey found success judged mainly by symptom scores and provoked urine tests [8], the latter of which toxicologists advise against [4]. **Bottom line (confidence 2 of 5).** Detox diets and teas are unproven for removing toxins, and laxative and diuretic versions can harm. Whole foods, fibre and cruciferous vegetables are the best-supported way to help your body do what it already does.