The Allure of Detox Teas
I have battled with my weight for years, yoyo dieting and binge eating and plunging into long episodes of depression because I couldn’t stick to anything. I eventually turned to a particular slimming tea that was recommended by a friend. I drank this sickly pond water for a week and ended up spending days in the hospital because the tea destroyed my gut. I felt compelled to write about this dangerous trend that could cause severe, long-term health problems.
In my search for more information about detox teas, I ventured over to Instagram and typed in the phrase “detox tea.” To my surprise, the search returned more than 700,000 results; most of the images were pictures of a slim waist with captions that claimed this miracle tea was the key to their weight loss success. Thousands of brand influencers promoting various branded slimming teas and side by side before and after images with more claims. Terrifying if you consider the fact that female brand influencers literally influence 16–25-year-old young women.
In a study undertaken by BMC Public Health, the results demonstrated that more than 33 percent of 14–17-year-olds that are active on social media spend time searching for something specific to purchase on influencers’ social media accounts. Influencers play an essential role in persuading young women to buy items such as clothing, makeup, and weight loss products. Genuine, responsible influencer marketing is a gift; however, contrived influencer marketing is a curse. If you are thinking about purchasing a detox tea to help you lose weight, read this first, or conduct extensive research before considering buying drinks that are glorified laxatives wrapped in pretty packaging.
What is Detox Tea?
There are various types of detox tea products floating around the Interweb; however, the most popular types contain senna, a natural herb that loosens the bowels. Some also include high doses of caffeine and other herbs such as peppermint and green tea leaves. There is little evidence to suggest that detox teas facilitate weight loss; however, the detox tea industry is still a multi-billion dollar industry with celebrities like Kylie Jenner and Cardi B promoting these dangerous products.
The teas claim to detox and aid weight loss by ridding the body of toxins.
Teatox, the most popular detox tea on the market, founded by savvy entrepreneur Emma Richards claims to energize, cleanse and help you reach your weight loss goals. The 14-day detox system makes some bold statements about health and weight loss, and no professional health coach or practitioner should recommend these teas to anyone.
How Does Detox Tea Work?
The ingredients in Teatox seem pretty harmless, all-natural, nothing too scary. Chinese oolong tea, ginseng, ginger, these ingredients are known to boost energy and relieve bloating. One element that is most prominent in detox teas is senna, a herb that is most often found in laxatives designed to relieve severe constipation. Laxatives taken long term could cause serious damage.
Dr. Megan Rossi, a research associate at King’s College London who specializes in gut health, explains that.
“Drinking tea containing senna will speed up the food’s transit in your intestine, meaning you are less likely to absorb the energy. Malabsorption of your food means you could end up with serious nutritional deficiencies. Although you’re eating a balanced diet, most of it is passing straight through your body and coming out into the toilet.”
The Dangers of Detox Tea
Be careful of the so-called “flat tummy teas” that claim to give you a flat tummy in less than a month. They are pretty much the same as the detox or slimming teas; they work by stimulating the bowel and ultimately causing diarrhea. The tea does relieve bloating for some people because it empties the stomach of food, but the drinks can make bloating worse. Why? Because when you deprive your body of nutrition in this way, according to Dr. Rossi, your body could eventually go into starvation mode, which might lead to weight gain when you stop drinking the tea.
I remember taking laxative pills in high school to lose weight; when I think about it now, I was bulimic. With bulimia, the goal is to rid your body of whatever you have eaten, and of course, it’s the control aspect of it all. Knowing that you can eat whatever you like and control when that food is expelled from your body. It kind of gives you a temporary high. I do not promote slimming teas, and I do not advocate eating disorders, so let’s just get that straight. I wish to highlight how taking these teas can essentially become addictive, and you could end up with an eating disorder if you allow a detox tea addiction to get the better of you.
Why are Stores still Selling Detox Teas?
In the UK, the biggest drugstores like Boots and Superdrug and health stores like GNC and Holland and Barratt retail slimming teas, detox teas and cleansing teas. I purchased my first box of slimming tea 15 years ago from Holland and Barratt in Bexleyheath, Kent. I remember rushing home to try it out because a friend of mine recommended it. Are you spotting a pattern here? My recent issue with slimming teas came as a result of a detox tea that a friend recommended. These slimming teas are wildly popular despite the highly publicized dangers associated with them; people continue to use them.
So why are stores still selling these teas? In the UK, for example, health and weight loss supplements are treated as foods. Therefore, they do not undergo rigorous testing like medicines sold at the pharmacies; therefore, many weight loss products on the UK’s shelves are not scrutinized by the Food and Drugs Board.
Dr. Ihonor, a London-based doctor, journalist, and nutritional medicine practitioner complained to the Advertising Standards Agency in the United Kingdom and secured more than 25,000 signatures to remove the herb senna from detox teas and slimming teas. One company agreed to remove the herb from their formula, and another tea company decided to label their product to clearly state that the tea might have a laxative effect on the body.
The Truth About Detox
Many products on the market claim to detox and cleanse the body. These products prey on individuals searching for a quick fix; however, they will only do more harm than good. Research carried out by the charity Sense About Science contacted 15 companies that manufacture products that claim to detoxify the body. When questioned, the companies could not come up with a clear cut explanation to clarify what detoxify means.
Bear this in mind when you are considering purchasing these detox products, your body already has a built-in detoxification organ, your liver. There is nothing wrong with drinking green tea and herbal or fruit teas that do not contain high doses of laxative herbs like senna, however, if you have fallen prey to these detox products, do not worry. Up your water intake, reduce your caffeine intake, and get your hands on some probiotics to restore your healthy gut flora. Also, have a chat with your doctor, get checked out, your health should always come first.
Anything that looks like it could be too good to be true probably is. Therefore, carefully read labels before purchasing anything, and be very diligent when it comes to buying products that look like they could be offering a quick fix solution.
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