The definition of detox diets
The term detox diet is a fairly broad and ambiguous one and the reason for this is due to the fact that the usage and inclusion of the word diet in the term often leads laypeople to erroneously assume that the detox diets that are available will make it easier for them to lose weight effectively. In reality; nothing could be further from the truth, as many of the detox diets have been associated with rapid weight gain and significant interference with the natural rate at which the base metabolic rate works at.
In essence, proponents of such diets will argue that the purpose behind detox diets is to remove a multitude of toxins that are present within the body; however, when pressed for further information it would appear that the precise source of these toxins, the effect they have on the body as well as the actual name for them all remain forever undefined.
Benefits of the detox diets
Reduction in the consumption of red meat
Some detox diets will require that the dieter refrain from consuming certain types of food, either limiting their intake or mandating an outright prohibition. A common food item that is typically banned during detox diets is red meat, such as beef.
The American Institute for Cancer Research has identified that there is compelling evidence to suggest that excessive consumption of red meat in the diet can have a significant increase in the likelihood of the development of cancer of the oesophagus, pancreatic gland.
Red meat has been identified as having a very concentration of haemoglobin and myoglobin molecules within it, which when consumed and digested, can trigger the nitrosation process, which in turn results a larger concentration of nitrosates within the body. Preliminary research into the biochemical effect of nitrosates has identified that they have carcinogenic (cancer-causing properties).
Benefits of dietary fibre
Many detox diets also advocate a significant increase in the amount of dietary fibre that is consumed, both in order to aid in the expulsion of solid waste (excrement) through the gastrointestinal canal, as well as for the associated health benefits attributed to dietary fibre.
Studies have suggested that dietary fibre can play a significant role in the reduction of cholesterol levels in the body, and this is due to the fact that dietary fibre has the ability to inhibit the production of an enzyme commonly associated with and believed to be responsible for, the production of low density lipoproteins.
Detox diets and the abstinence of caffeine
Excessive consumption of caffeine can result in the development of a pathology known as caffeinism whereby the body will begin to suffer physical withdrawal symptoms as a consequence of the lack of caffeine in the circulatory system. Anecdotal evidence from people who have underwent detox diets have reported and identified that their feelings of extreme dysphoria, anxiety as well as the chronic headaches that they had previously suffered; disappeared at the conclusion of the diet.
Criticisms of the typical detox diet
Detox diets have been subject to incredibly close scrutiny and criticism in recent times and nutritionists and dieticians alike have expressed their concerns over the fact that these sorts of diets run the possibility of nutritional deficiency as well as extreme weight gain in addition to other health concerns. Potential complications associated with detox diets include the likes of adipose, whereby the acidity of blood plasma within the body increases to dangerously high levels. The increased acidity of the blood means that there is a high risk that the acidity of the blood will interact with the alkaloid membranes of the cell structures in the body; causing permanent and catastrophic damage.
In addition, it must be noted that basic human anatomy has been designed to ensure the optimal and most efficient methods of waste disposal possible. The renal system is responsible for the removal, purification and expulsion of liquids consumed, and the stomach contains hydrochloric acid which itself is capable of killing a multitude of different bacterium and other contaminants.
Nutritionists have identified that a potential risk associated with detox diets that require dieters to refrain from eating certain types of food (or even more alarmingly, food in general)is malnutrition and even the onset of starvation with the body. This is a direct consequence of the lack of essential nutrients such as fats, proteins and carbohydrates being ingested in the diet.
A common fallacy that is prevalent about detox diets is that they will help to maintain and achieve rapid and radical weight loss. In reality, many of these detox diets will trigger what is known as the starvation response which is the physiological survival mechanism that is inherent within all animal life. Specifically, the starvation response will involve a significant depression of the base metabolic rate in order to compensate for the absence of food.
The starvation response is specifically triggered as a consequence of low calorie intake. Please note that the actual degree of calorific deficiency that is required to trigger this response is not universal or arbitrary and so a person who is fairly active who subsequently reduces their calorie intake will trigger the starvation mechanism quicker than a sedentary person.
Worryingly, the starvation process has been perceived as a desirable outcome by many proponents of the detox diets and the reason for this is due to the fact that as a matter of basic human survival, the body will break down the adipose tissues; i.e. fat deposits stored in the body; for the provision of glycogen and glucose. Because the body will actively cannibalise the triglyceride sources contained within it, this means that full skeletal decomposition is not required.
However, when the starvation response is permitted to continue unchecked for extensive periods of time then this causes the process of catabolysis to set in; whereby the body is forced as a matter of basic survival to cannibalise the lean muscle tissue and protein supplies within the body to support itself and more specifically myocardium functionality.