For all the proven methods available for getting healthy, there is an equal amount of pseudoscience. It turns out a major portion of that pseudoscience come from the theory that claims juicing helps expel toxins from your body.
According to the New York Times, juicing relies on similar logic that came from darker times.
“To say that drinking juice detoxifies the body isn’t quite the same as claiming leeches suck out poisons, but it’s fairly close,”
Dr. James H. Grendell, the chief of the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, New York, agrees that it’s far from a reliable health option.
“People are interested in this so-called detoxification, but when I ask them what they are trying to get rid of, they aren’t really sure,” he said. “I’ve yet to find someone who has specified a toxin they were hoping to be spared.”
From the New York Times:
Toxins exist. Doctors typically define them as something that enters the body that has a damaging effect on its own — like pesticides, lead or antifreeze — or in large quantities, like alcohol or medications such as acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol.
But for the most part, the body handles toxins just fine on its own.
The kidneys and the liver do the main removal work. They draw substances out of the bloodstream and process them for the body to excrete as feces and urine.
Juicing clearly tastes great and is refreshing, but people can no longer claim that they are actively detoxifying their body with the various vitamins and antioxidants contained in fruits and vegetables, regardless of how much you end up peeing out.
[Jezebel] Featured image: erik forsberg (Flickr)
Leave a Reply