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Overwhelming controversy
surrounds a weight management plan referred to as “Detoxification
Dieting.” Although, there is a spectrum of detox practices,
certain medical professionals recommend it, while others suggest
danger. To discern the positive and negative effects of fasting
or doing the detoxification diet, review the following positives
and negatives:
Detoxification
Diet Perks
• Used short-term,
it should be safe
• Spiritual benefits
• Weight loss is via fluid loss
• Releases a build up of toxins
• Beans, fruits, grains and vegetables, fruits, whole grains
and beans
Detoxification Diet
Drawbacks
• Research does not corroborate the health benefits of the program
• Weight loss is generally temporary
• Does not effectively burn fat
• Considered to ‘quite dangerous’
Despite
the immediate gratification of accelerated weight loss, detoxification
diets are not recommended for the following individuals:
• Children
• Adolescents
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women
• Aging people
• Individuals with health problems (such as decreased kidney
function, diabetes, heart disease and other chronic illnesses)
Body detoxification
programs have been touted as a way for people to manage their
own health. On the contrary physicians are countering that the
weight management plan does not provide any benefits the body
does not perform naturally.
According to one
of the co-founders of the 21-Day Detox program in California,
John Wood, it is virtually impossible to “live in a dirty environment,
breathing dirty air ... eating food that's contaminated with
poisons and pesticides and be healthy."
On the other side
of the detox diet debate, Roger Clements, MD a chemist at the
U.S.C. School of Pharmacy scoffs at the program's stipulation
on how the body or digestive system needs a time-out or sabbatical.
According to Dr. Clements, both the liver and G.I. (gastrointestinal)
tract are very long. From the liver to the GI tract, the body
manages to function well. But according to Peter Pressman, an
assistant professor of clinical medicine at the University of
Southern California, detoxification is potentially dangerous.
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