After the winter, an inner voice tells us that we should pay more attention to fitness and figure. After all, a beach holiday is on the agenda in the not so distant future.
Even the Catholic fasting before Easter was a ritual intended to end the winter season. After the last Corona winter, this need is currently also making itself felt among many managers.
Basically, from a medical point of view, this urge is not wrong. However, I would like to warn against a current trend: In many large cities such as Berlin, Hamburg or Cologne, there are currently so-called “detox parties” or “detox nights” where there is no alcohol or cola to drink. And no other sugary drinks either.
Smoothies, fruit and vegetables, rice milk juice and coconut water are served. As is often the case with zeitgeist, this fashion comes from the USA. Alcohol-free club nights are also fashionable in Scandinavia.
Healthy eating, sporty dancing, no alcohol replaces winter “Toffifie throwbacks”. The outpatient detox-light events are cheap alternatives to Ayurveda treatments in India or Sri Lanka.
The myth of waste products in the body
Do not get me wrong. Such healthy gatherings are of course to be welcomed. As a doctor, the only thing that bothers me as a doctor is the conceptual superstructure of detoxification. I have already dealt critically with the myth of detoxification in this column and would like to do so again because I have observed that some misunderstandings are only increasing.
The assumption of detox believers is: Harmful substances should be excreted via the liver and kidneys. In other words, the body should be rid of toxins, like a spring cleaning for the body.
A so-called detoxification of health-problematic accumulations of metabolic products is postulated. The causes listed are: unhealthy diet with many additives, too much fat and too much sugar, nicotine, alcohol, stress and environmental toxins.
It is undisputed that all these things are not good for us. But the assumption that we can get these substances out of the body with a few detox parties, short cures and expensive dietary supplements has never been scientifically proven.
The German Society for Nutrition states: “In a healthy human body there is no accumulation of waste products and deposits of metabolic products. Substances that cannot be used are excreted via the liver, kidneys, intestines and skin.”
The term “detox” is controversial
The term detox is not legally defined. There is no health-related statement on the term “detox” approved by the European Commission, which means that, strictly speaking, the use of this term in a medical context is not permitted.
Synonymous terms such as “minus-tox”, “freetox”, “antitox”, “d-tox” are often used in advertising. Other nice-sounding promises such as regeneration, elimination of toxins, improvement of metabolism and skin quality, calming of the vegetative nervous system and so on are nothing more than clumsy marketing.
Before starting a detox, it is often recommended to defecate with Epsom salts, which is taken in the morning on an empty stomach with a quarter liter of water.
This can also be harmful, especially since many products recommended for a detox can have a draining effect and lead to increased elimination of minerals.
Then sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium go, and electrolyte imbalance can occur.
Interactions not excluded
Detox products can also have dangerous side effects if they interact with medications taken at the same time. In the long run, a strict detox diet can lead to a nutrient deficiency.
In this context, consumer advice centers warn that detox cures have not been sufficiently investigated in terms of their promised effects and their composition. So-called detox patches for the feet are complete nonsense.
Instead, headaches, increased fatigue, excessive thirst, sweating and gastrointestinal problems are possible side effects after starting a detox.
And one more tip: Products that can be quite effective are often praised under the “Detox” label: aloe vera, aniseed, fennel, chlorella, psyllium, healing clay, green tea, calcium, pumpkin seeds, turmeric, magnesium, mate, peppermint and so on other vitamins, minerals and trace elements can of course bring about an improvement in health if you incorporate them into your diet over the long term.
But all this is also possible without succumbing to the advertising promise of detoxification. If a detox party is nevertheless the start of a consistent change in diet for you, there is of course no objection to taking part in such an event.
More: What Voltaire, veterans and happy Japanese have to do with longevity.
Curt Diehm is medical director of the Max Grundig Clinic, which specializes in executives. The internist also teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Heidelberg and is the author of over 200 original scientific publications and many non-fiction books.