Hits and myths: juice detox

No

Fans of juice fasting claim that drinking fresh fruit and vegetable juices for three days is the trick to giving the body a good spring clean. As fresh juices contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals, they help detoxify the body from the inside, encouraging the organs to expel toxins and remove waste products from the bloodstream.

During the "cleanse", nothing but fresh-pressed, organic juices and water can be consumed. Green vegetables are said to be especially purifying, because they are rich in chlorophyll. The juices have to be drunk very slowly to maximise the absorption of nutrients, and chewing is recommended to help stimulate the production of saliva, which contains digestive enzymes.

As poisons are purged from the body, juicing devotees rave about the other supposed benefits of the detox: improved stamina, since the energy that would otherwise have been used to digest food is conserved, a clearer complexion, thanks to the increased vitamin and mineral intake, and weight loss.

The human body produces, ingests or inhales toxins every day, in the form of environmental pollutants, like second-hand smoke and car exhaust, pesticides, food additives, toxic metals (that is, mercury from fish), and bisphenol A from plastic drink containers.