Can fasting help purge the body of toxins?

Dear Just Wondering, 

Every so often, a new fad diet pops up in the media followed by accounts of all its benefits. For example, detox diets, which often feature fasting, have risen in popularity with unsupported claims of promoting the natural process of toxin removal. Fasting is the practice of abstaining from eating for set periods of time. Fasting may lead to several adverse effects such as low nutrient levels, stomach pain, and low energy. While some studies have found that fasting may promote temporary weight loss, there’s no evidence to support that it’s effective for detoxing. The good news is that you already have organs that remove toxins from your body and the best way to support these organs is to eat nutritious foods. Keep reading to learn more about detoxification and fasting! 

What are toxins and how are they removed from the body? 

Toxins are products or byproducts that enter your body through activities such as breathing in polluted air, eating foods with naturally occurring toxins, taking medications or supplements, and drinking alcohol.  

Your body has built-in detoxification processes to remove these toxins, no matter where they come from. Some organs involved in detoxification include the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin, and digestive organs. These organs remove toxins by expelling them through feces, vomit, and sweat, and breathing out toxic gases.  

What are fasting and detox diets? 

Detox diet is an umbrella term to describe different practices that some people believe aid detoxification. Detox diets typically include fasting but may also have other practices such as: 

• Replacing meals with juices
• Restricting calorie intake
• Drinking large amounts of water
• Using a sauna
• Taking laxatives
• Taking vitamin and mineral supplements  

List adapted from Frontiers in Nutrition 

Intermittent fasting, which describes spacing out meals so that you don’t eat for certain periods of time, has become a popular practice in recent years. Some people use intermittent fasting to promote detoxification, while others use it to lose weight.   

What are the impacts of fasting and detox diets? 

Detox diets and fasting don’t help your body remove toxins. There’s some evidence that says fasting can help with temporary weight loss. However, there isn’t enough scientific evidence to back its effectiveness when it comes to detoxification. What’s more, people’s bodies are already naturally equipped to detoxify through organs like the kidneys, the liver, and the skin.  

Fasting often results in a decrease in calorie and nutrient consumption that may leave you tired and hungry. Resuming more regular eating—which is necessary to fuel your body—after fasting will likely result in regaining any weight that was lost.  

Additionally, as with any diet that involves calorie reduction, fasting can have some unwanted side effects including:  

• Low blood sugar
• Vitamin and mineral deficiencies
• Low energy or fatigue
• Stomach pain
• Muscle aches
• Nausea
• Dizziness or lightheadedness 
• High cortisol levels  

List adapted from WebMD and MD Anderson Cancer Center 

Is there anything you can do to help promote natural detoxification? 

The most effective way to promote detoxification is by keeping your organs healthy. Foods and drinks that are highly processed, sugary, fatty, oily, or contain alcohol can contribute to fatty liver disease, which can impact the organ’s ability to detoxify. Eating nutritious and easily processed foods can prevent more fat from building up on internal organs. So, instead of cutting out foods by fasting, it may be helpful to focus on eating nutritious alternatives.  

Wishing you and your organs the best of luck detoxifying,