Are Cleansing, Or Detox Diets, Effective In Reducing Weight?

February 1, 2009 -- Question: Are cleansing, or detox diets, effective in reducing weight?

Answer: Cleansing diets and detox diets are not diets that we would recommend. They're not backed by research and they interfere with electrolyte balance, sodium balance, and water balance in the body. Not only are they likely not to be effective, they're very likely to be unsafe, and therefore we can't recommend them. In addition to that, they're not the sort of diet that you would want to adapt as a lifestyle. So they're certainly not for long term use.