Don't buy detox, colon cleanse, enzyme (酵素) or alkaline water products

Cost

A few hundred to a few thousand CNY. The kind of “detox” that works by starving yourself can also drop your blood sugar and leave you short of nutrients.

What you get

That review concluded that “despite the booming detox industry, the clinical evidence supporting these diets is very limited,” and that “there are no randomized controlled trials of commercial detox diets.” Another systematic review specifically checked whether the acidity or alkalinity of diet, alkaline water and cancer are related: it went through 8,278 papers, only 1 qualified for inclusion, and it too saw no link. The authors wrote that “promoting alkaline diets and alkaline water to the public for cancer prevention or treatment is unreasonable.” It looks like a good deal because the two premises, “the body has toxins that must be flushed out” and “a body that turns acidic gets cancer,” sound very much like physiology

Notes

All that can be said is “no evidence supports it,” so it gets only a grade of C. Clearing out the waste the body's metabolism produces is the job of the liver and kidneys in the first place. As long as these two organs are not diseased, there is no need to do any extra “detoxing”

Evidence grade

C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.

Sources

1. Klein AV, Kiat H (2015). Detox diets for toxin elimination and weight management: a critical review of the evidence. J Hum Nutr Diet. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12286
2. Fenton TR, Huang T (2016). Systematic review of the association between dietary acid load, alkaline water and cancer. BMJ Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010438

Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 6, tip 13. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer