Do we need to detox?

We hear a lot these days about how our bodies are accumulating toxins and how we need to remove these harmful chemicals by undergoing some sort of detox. But what exactly is meant by that?

A toxin is a biologically produced poison though the word is often used to include all sorts on non-biological harmful substances as well. We are often told that these harmful substances accumulate in our bodies and we need to do various things to detox ourselves.

What should we make of this claim? What should we check before we take it seriously? We need to understand what toxins are being referred to, and whether or not they actually accumulate in the body. We also need to know, given the type of toxin, what methods will successfully remove it. We also need some way of judging the risk associated with specific toxins. Obviously if the risk is very low and the consequences are negligible, we won't need to do anything.

What toxins are being referred to?

A quick scan of the web will reveal that toxins are supposed to include a very wide range of biological and man-made chemicals. For example, in two minutes I came across detox advertisements which listed toxins as including ammonia, lead, food additives, cigarette smoke, carcinogens, arsenic, herbicides, fertilisers, plastic packaging (seriously), aluminium, mercury, preservatives, and hormones.

Clearly, if all these are actually toxins, liable to do us harm, we need to take drastic steps. But in fact, none of the advertisements explained how these substances caused us harm, nor in what quantities, nor their severity, nor even the means of removal. They were generically categorised as toxins and the intention was clearly to create anxiety.

How do you remove toxins?

If we have taken in some chemical which is toxic, then it will have been involved in biochemical reactions somewhere in our tissues. It may have bound to other molecules, causing them to behave differently, and it may be localised or spread throughout the body. There are very many different ways in which a genuine toxin can affect the body, and each toxin will require a specific mechanism for removal.

When for example, someone is poisoned by an industrial chemical, the first step is to precisely identify what it was. If someone has been poisoned with arsenic, then they are given a chelating agent, a chemical which will bind to the arsenic to form a soluble compound which the body can excrete safely. Something that will work with arsenic, may not work with another toxin.

So to remove any toxin, it needs to be identified and the specific mechanism applied. There is no generic mechanism for removing a toxin from the body.

How does the body deal with chemicals?

The human body has a remarkably effective detox mechanism based on the liver and kidneys. Chemicals which are not required are broken down by the liver and the building blocks are reused to make something more useful. Those that are not metabolised are simply excreted.

In our gut, we have bacteria which assist in digestion and at normal concentrations they do us no harm. Some of the bacteria can be harmful to us in high concentrations but the natural biology of the gut keeps the levels down. There is no evidence that toxins accumulate in the gut so there is no need to do anything to our bodies to remove them. They are not there, so there is no problem.

Why are we led to believe we need detox?

Anyone trying to sell dietary products needs to create anxiety about our nutrition. Once we are doubtful about the adequacy of our nutrition, we will be willing to try new products. The detox message makes us think that our diet is a problem requiring a solution, and that solution points to a product.

The same anxiety is used to sell supplements. We are encouraged to believe our diet is deficient in some essential component. Whilst it is true that many people do not eat a balanced diet, it is equally true that those who do eat a balanced diet do not require dietary supplements.

Detox is a marketing myth. We do not accumulate toxins, and we have no need to detox ourselves. Those who claim that they have a generic method for removing real toxins, do not realise that the removal process for any poison has to be specific to the poison. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.