As we come into the holidays, a lot of people are looking to start a New Year’s resolution which is typically related to some form of statement such as ” I want to lose 50 pounds by next year” or “I want to be healthier”. According to Nielsen, in 2015 the top two most popular resolutions were to “stay fit and healthy” and to “lose weight”. Not all, but, most people when they think of losing weight, they look to various celebrity endorsed diets or supplements which can actually be a negative effect on the body or potentially be dangerous if you have a medication/food interaction. One of the most popular diet trends out there are detox diets. For those who are interested in pursuing a detox diet, it’s important to investigate it before diving in.
What exactly does it mean to detox? Detoxing can be different things to different people. The definition of detoxification according to Webster is “to remove a harmful substance (as a poison or toxin) or the effect of such form”. Many detox diets claim our bodies are “loaded” with toxins which couldn’t be further from the truth. Our bodies are equipped with a natural detoxification system: mainly the liver and kidneys. “The liver plays an important role in protecting the body from potentially toxic chemical insults through its capacity to convert lipophiles into more water-soluble metabolites which can be efficiently eliminated from the body via the urine”. While some detox diets claim they improve energy or cure chronic diseases, there is still more research to be done to determine if dietary intervention is even effective in removing toxins from our bodies.
Let’s examine the various popular detox diets out there. Dr Oz is a very well known TV celebrity who tends to provide nutrition advice from time to time and one of those was a 10-day detox diet to reboot the metabolism. It instructs you to first dump out a long list of items which some I agree with like the processed foods and hydrogenated oils and others I don’t agree with like starchy vegetables, dairy, and legumes. For 10 days, you eat nothing but non-starchy vegetables, lean proteins, some fruit, and water. While this doesn’t sound like a terrible plan, you don’t continue this diet after the 10 days. During the diet phase, you will lose weight, feel pretty good because you’ve been eating a lot of vegetables. However, a temporary diet plan is not effective. Instead you want to look at making lifestyle changes. That’s how you keep the weight off.
Two of the biggest concerns with detox diets are food/drug interactions and overall safety of procedures which typically accommodate them. What do I mean by a food/drug interactions? A specific food can either inhibit or cause a drug to overwork in the body which can either produce unpleasant side effects or worse, become fatal. One of the popular methods of detox is called “teatoxing”. Many companies are adding herbs to their teas claiming it will help individuals lose weight and increase energy. There are many medications in which herbs, supplements, and other ingredients can interact with:
Grapefruit, tangelos, limes, Seville orange (bitter orange), and pomelos: 43 of 85 prescription medications have serious adverse reactions with these fruits. Some of the most common medications include Midazolam, anticancer drugs, carbamazepine, fexofenadine, diazepam, amiodarone, dronedarone, buspirone, sertraline, ketamine, lurasidone, erythromycin, halofantrine, maraviroc, atorvastatin, lovastatin, simvastatin, domperidone, triazolam, zaleplon, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, sirolimus, oral contraceptives, some erectile dysfunction medications. For a full list of medications which interact with grapefruit click here on page 313.
Caffeine: can increase caffeine levels (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, ofloxacin, trovafloxacin), will lessen the therapeutic effects of the drug and increase excitability (lorazepam, diazepam, alprazolam), may irritate GI tract or worsen heartburn (ranitidine, cimetidine, famotidine, nizatidine), beta blockers (metoprolol, atenolol, labetalol). High caffeinated beverages such as coffee and black tea contain theophylline so individuals receiving the bronchodialator theophylline should avoid caffeine. Other medications which increase the QT interval of the heart rythym (disopyramide, amiodarone, ibutilide, quinidine, dofetilide, procainamide, thioridazine, and sotalol) which can lead to cardiac arrhythmias.3
Senna: a natural laxative can lead to potassium loss if used in excess amounts causing digoxin toxicity.3
Licorice root: can deplete potassium levels leading to abnormal heart rhythms if consumed in large quantities, can increase blood pressure negating anti-hypertensive medications.3
Foods and herbs containing tyramine: ginseng and caffeine are two most common tyramine containing ingredients in teas. Those taking MAOIs should avoid large amounts of tyramine. For a list of foods containing tyramine, click here on page 11.
Garlic: inhibit blood coagulation (warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel), lower blood sugar and should be avoided with insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs.3
Ginkgo: inhibit blood coagulation (warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel), lower blood sugar and should be avoided with insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs, decrease the effectiveness of anticonvulsant medications (depakote, carbamazepine), can cause serotonin syndrome (escitalopram, fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline), can lower blood pressure (procardia). Cellasene which is used to eliminate cellulite contains ginkgo.3
Ginger: inhibit blood coagulation (warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel).3
Yerba mate: contains caffeine and is used as a stimulant giving off the effect of having more energy. It also interacts with antibiotics, lithium, and some asthma drugs.2
Garcinia Cambogia: claims to decrease the number of fat cells the body creates and control appetite. It can also cause nausea, headache, wheezing, digestive problems, and difficulty breathing in some people.2
Ginseng: inhibit blood coagulation (warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel), lower blood sugar and should be avoided with insulin and oral hypoglycemic drugs, can alter the effects of calcium-channel blockers, block the analgesic effects of morphine, raise concentrations of certain medications, potentiate the effects of anti-psychotic medications.
St John’s Wort: cyclosporine, oral contraceptives, coumadin and other blood thinners, digoxin, benzodiazepines just to name a few.1, can increase the activity of clopidogrel.3
Hawthorn leaf: should be avoided with digoxin which can lower the heart rate to dangerous levels.3
Angelica: avoid with blood thinners.3
Chamomile: avoid with blood thinners.3
Coenzyme Q-10: avoid with blood thinners.3
Feverfew: avoid with blood thinners.3
Green tea: avoid with blood thinners.3
Guarana: avoid with blood thinners.3
Milk Thistle: contained in supplements claiming to cleanse the liver which can interact with various medications.
Like I said earlier, not only do you have to be concerned about the many food-drug interactions that many detox diets contain, you should also look at the accompanying procedures that a lot of diets incorporate such as coffee enemas where harm has been evident, body brushing, and foot detox baths which have also show no evidence of actually removing toxins from the body. Chelation therapy has only been approved by the FDA for heavy metal poisoning treatment and should not be used as part of a detox diet.
So when it comes down to it, the best method when wanting to follow a safe “detox” diet is to increase your fruits and vegetables (as long as they don’t interact with your medications) with a goal of 5 servings per day (approximately 1/2 cup per serving), switch from red and processed meats to lean meats such as poultry and fish, and switch sugary drinks to water with a goal of 8-10 glasses (8 oz each) per day. By doing this you will have more energy allowing you to start that exercise program you had your eye on which will in time help you lose weight the safest way possible and keep it off.
Sources:
- https://nccih.nih.gov/health/providers/digest/herb-drug-science#heading5
- Today’s dietitian magazine. November 2016. p.10.
- http://www.nutrition411.com/sites/default/files/Food%20Interactions%20with%20RX_3.pdf