Every year, at the start of the school year and after the end of year celebrations, it is impossible to miss the advertising campaigns for detox products. They are everywhere! Are these products, which would have the ability to regenerate our liver, really useful? We asked the question to Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor and medical director of TipsForWomens.
They take the form of herbal teas, food supplements or juices. Detox products promise to rid our liver of possible toxins. Problem, it would be a purely marketing concept that is not based on any scientific evidence.
Food cannot poison our liver
“Our liver cannot be poisoned by what we eat or what we breathe. Liver poisoning remains rare and is most often caused by chemicals”, explains Dr. Kierzek. The word “toxins” used by detox product brands is therefore misused.
The liver naturally removes waste from the body
The liver therefore does not need external products to get rid of body waste that reaches it. He does it naturally. “The liver is one of the emunctory organs, along with the kidneys, lungs, skin and intestine. They naturally eliminate waste from the body“” explained Dr. Kierzek.
The natural substances (from food or plants) contained in detox products cannot therefore “detoxify the liver”. They can at most facilitate this work of natural emunctory. This is particularly the case with artichokes, green tea and foods rich in vitamin C.
There are other ways to take care of your liver
To sum up, detox products do no harm in the sense that they contain, for the most part, natural substances that facilitate digestion. But they will never be able to do the liver’s job of ridding the body of its waste. “We can also take care of our liver by eating neither too fat nor too sweet and by having lighter meals if we have been overindulging recently.recalls Dr. Kierzek.
You will have understood it, your liver will not mind if you do not take detox supplements because it is not very useful…
Slide: How to take care of your liver
