Neither feast nor famine
(Filed: 31/12/2004)

Too often, a detox is as bad as bingeing, reports Barbara Lantin. Better to eat well all the time

If you have overindulged during the festive season, you may be considering penance in the form of a detox after tonight's final blowout.



This buzzword echoes louder each year as more and more products fill the shelves. Tesco reports a fivefold increase in sales of "inner cleansers" during January.
Detox formulas come in all shapes and sizes - teas, tablets, tinctures, compounds, colon cleansers and even skin patches. But do they have any real value? Indeed, is detoxing itself a useful concept or just a very profitable piece of hype? Catherine Collins, chief dietician at St George's Hospital, London, is in no doubt.

"Detoxing is a marketing concept, rather than a physiological one. Our bodies detox all the time through our liver, kidneys and lungs. The body is sophisticated enough to protect us from the toxins we inhale or ingest in food or that are produced as a by-product of normal physiological processes, such as free radicals.

"It is primed to neutralise toxins as they are produced and it does this quietly and efficiently without needing extra help from herbs or other products.

"For example, if you have never drunk alcohol and then have some wine, you will get drunk quite quickly because the liver has not worked out what to do with the alcohol and higher levels will circulate in your bloodstream.



"However, if you drink frequently, the liver enzymes are primed and ready to go, so as soon as you have a drink, alcohol will start to be metabolised. There is less in the bloodstream and you do not get drunk so quickly."

Not everybody agrees that our bodies can cope with whatever is thrown at them, especially over Christmas.

"If there are toxins such as alcohol or foods going in that require a great deal of work to digest, the body uses its resources to do that, so there is less energy for other processes and for healing," says nutritional therapist and author Dr Marilyn Glenville. "That is why it is normal to fall asleep after an enormous Christmas lunch."

Holistic medical physician Dr Mark Atkinson puts it this way: "Just as we need to clean our house every so often in order to prevent dust and dirt from collecting, so we need to cleanse our bodies from the toxins that we bring in through the food we eat, the water we drink, the chemicals we are exposed to and the air we breathe.

"These toxins build up - particularly if the bowel and liver aren't functioning at full capacity."

A fast track to health?

The concept of purifying the body by abstaining from food is as old as religion (think of Ramadan and the Day of Atonement), and has become one of the pillars of some detox regimes. Indeed, one "colon-cleansing kit", costing £50, requires a five-day, liquid-only fast. However, nutritionists and dieticians counsel caution.

"Cleaning up your diet and eating simple food, such as oats, fruit and vegetables, white fish, grilled salmon and brown rice can give the body a rest," says Dr Glenville.

"But fasting regimes are not feasible unless you are being looked after - at a health farm, for example. It is not safe to fast when you are working."

Collins accepts the psychological appeal of "being removed from the tyranny of food, what to eat, when and how much", particularly for ethical or religious reasons, but warns of the dangers.

"We have an obligate need for protein: women require about 60g a day. If you don't consume that, you will start to break down your own muscle. Without new protein, the immune system and tissue growth can be compromised."

Does your colon need cleansing?

In this ultra-hygienic age, the idea of flushing out the bowel after a Christmas binge may seem sensible, and there are plenty of products to help you.

"In addition to a diet that provides key nutrients and removes digestive irritants, certain herbs and fibres can help to cleanse the digestive tract and calm down inflammations," says Patrick Holford, founder of the Institute for Optimum Nutrition. Linseed, psyllium husks, milk thistle and acacia gum are among the products he highlights.

However, Collins points out that many so-called colon cleansing products contain laxatives that can have unwanted side effects.

"They may cause diarrhoea and lead to dehydration and the depletion of essential salts. I would not recommend them at all. Liquorice, which is used in some cleansers, can lower potassium levels and cause muscle weakness and fatigue."

If not detox, then what?

Detoxing is too often used as an excuse to eat badly the rest of the time, believes Ian Marber, principal nutrition consultant at the Food Doctor Clinic in west London.

"Feast or famine is not a good way to live. Detoxing is the nutritional equivalent of joining a gym and going once. My advice is to eat better food and less rubbish and to drink plenty of water and less alcohol all year round."

The Mediterranean diet is Collins's recommendation, including at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, mono-unsaturated fats and adequate protein.

"It is the blueprint for longevity and disease prevention and management," she says. "Eat three meals a day, and if you are eating too much, cut your portions in half, except for fruit and vegetables. Products with fancy, pseudo-scientific names are just a waste of money."

http://health.telegraph.co.uk/healt...31/hdetox31.xml