Ditch the detox diets, they're a 'lot of nonsense', says government advisor

New Year detox diets are a waste of time and money, a Government scientist said yesterday.

Drinking tap water, taking a little exercise and eating sensible amounts of home cooked food are far more likely to get people back into shape after the Christmas seasonal excess.

Dr Andrew Wadge, chief scientist with the Food Standards Agency, advised people against paying through the nose for expensive detox packages and supplements.

He said on his online blog: "There's a lot of nonsense talked about "detoxing" and most people seem to forget that we are born with a built-in detox mechanism. It's called the liver."

Dr Wadge offers the following alternatives: "First, drink a glass or two of water (tap is fine, cheaper and more sustainable than bottled), second, get a little exercise - maybe a walk in the park - and third, enjoy some nice home-cooked food."

His advice ends: 'Ditch the detox diets and buy yourself something nice with the money you've saved.

"Personally, I would recommend the new Neil Young and Steve Earle albums."

Dr Wadge says he will use his blog to show the importance of good science.

But one response to his latest entry, from an unnamed person describing themselves as a sports nutritionist, countered: "This type of communication from a Government agency really is not up to scratch.

"We want solid valuable information that large numbers of people can use effectively. Not this complete rubbish."

Detox kits have been a lucrative earner for supermarkets, pharmacists and health food shops in recent years.

The industry is now said to be worth tens of millions of pounds a year.

Most of the "diet kits" contain vitamin pills or diuretics. The Boots Five Day Detox kit, for instance, costs £13.50 and includes a daily drink and table.

It boasts that it helps to "battle against toxins and help protect from the dangers of free radicals, by-products of pollution and smoke."

It is not just vitamin pills that are labelled "detox".

Stores now sell a wide range of detox shampoos, body scrubs, brushes, and even "body freshener" pills, made from mushrooms, which are said to be designed to attack smells associated with detoxing "where they originate within the body".

However, Jacqui Lowdon, of the British Dietetic Association, said most detox supplements are pointless.

"We agree with the FSA and people should ditch detox," she said. "The liver and kidneys do a very good job in getting rid of waste products from the body.

"We should all be looking after our bodies 24 hours a day, seven days a week, rather than doing it for a week or a fortnight once a year.

"Rather than buying an expensive detox kit, it's a lot cheaper simply to eat five portions of fruit and veg, have plenty of fibre, avoid fat and sugar and do some exercise.'

Miss Lowdon added: "It's not helped by the fact that celebrities advertise all these detox diets and videos.

"Since when were celebrities qualified to talk about health and nutrition?"

A spokesman for Boots said: 'Boots recognises that people don't drink enough water.

"The Boots Five Day detox plan includes a daily drink and tablet with ingredients that battle against toxins and help protect from the dangers of free radicals to leave you feeling revitalised and re-energised."

In 2005, research in the U.S. found that detox diets did no more than the body's own natural detox systems.