Health experts no fans of 'cleansing' diets

The Master Cleanse diet instructs people to drink a mixture of lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water.

Beyoncé Knowles has reported losing 20 pounds on the Master Cleanse diet — a plan that involves eating no food but drinking a mixture of fresh lemon juice, organic maple syrup, cayenne pepper and water — for her role in Dreamgirls.

Gwyneth Paltrow followed a week-long detox diet after the holidays, cutting out dairy, caffeine and processed foods and drinking a beet-carrot-apple-ginger juice, according to People magazine.

Oprah Winfrey blogged about her experiences on a 21-day vegan cleansing diet that was free of sugar, alcohol, caffeine, gluten and animal products.

With summer not far off, overweight people may be tempted to kick-start their weight loss and clean out their systems with one of the plans — lemonade fasts, juice fasts, tea plans, vegan diets.

There are dozens of programs, outlined on websites, in magazines and in popular diet books. They vary widely, but most eliminate caffeine, alcohol, sugar, processed foods and fast foods. Many exclude dairy, meat and wheat products.

The most stringent are liquid fasts. Some even recommend enemas, including coffee enemas.

In many cases, the diets are big business, often involving purchasing books, supplements, vitamins, shakes, drinks, teas, juicers and other products.

The plans are supposed to remove chemical and dietary toxins from the body. But weight-loss experts have long been skeptical about the claims, saying there is no scientific evidence such programs do a better job than the body's own organs. They also say many of the plans are deficient in protein and other nutrients.

"These kinds of diets are not a reasonable approach to weight loss, and there is no data that they do what they claim," says Gary Foster, director of the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia. He is concerned that the cleanses could be harmful to people who suffer the medical consequences of obesity, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.

Joy Bauer, a registered dietitian in New York City, says: "People are always doing them, and it's disheartening because they are sophisticated, smart people who know better, but they are so desperate for a quick fix. You don't experience long-term success on them. You may be less bloated. You may feel lighter. You may be losing some weight, but much of it is water weight."

Ancient roots

One of the most talked-about plans is the Master Cleanse, which was created more than 50 years ago by the late alternative-health guru Stanley Burroughs and is promoted by Peter Glickman in his book, Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days and on his website, TheRawFoodSite.com. He's a layman who did the cleanse and is convinced it works.

Glickman says he doesn't know of any scientific studies showing what chemicals or toxins are removed by the cleanse, but he believes the lemonade works in the liver to clean out toxins. He says government regulations prohibit him from making claims that the Master Cleanse cures anything.

"The only thing I can tell you is the cleanse has been used for decades by hundreds of thousands of people, and we have anecdotal stories that people lose weight, feel better, say aches and pains in their joints are reduced or go away, can breathe better and their skin looks healthier."

He points out that lemons have been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes and that there's a lot of history behind fasts. "The Master Cleanse is a modified fast, and fasts have been used for thousands of years. Almost every religion on earth has fasting as part of it."

Nutrition experts say they'd like to see some scientific evidence the plans work. "I've never seen any published trials that would lead me to believe that if you are healthy, your lungs, kidney and liver need help removing toxins from your body," says Colleen Doyle, director of nutrition and physical activity for the American Cancer Society.

Bauer, author of Joy's Life Diet, says a fiber-rich diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, low-fat dairy and plenty of water can clean your system out much better than most packaged fasts or juice fasts.

There's a reason fiber is called "nature's broom," says Keith Ayoob, a registered dietitian at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. Nutritionists also are concerned that most cleansing diets are devoid of protein, which helps maintain muscle mass during weight loss.

Bonnie Taub-Dix, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association and a registered dietitian in New York City, agrees that the lack of protein in many such diets makes them nutritionally inadequate. "It's like getting dressed and putting on three shirts and no pants. They may be nice shirts, but you are missing other critical things."

But Glickman says the body can go for days without protein and not be harmed. He says he knows of about 2,000 people who have done the Master Cleanse, and it "hasn't harmed anyone's health long-term."

Knowles conceded on a 2006 Ellen DeGeneres Show that while she was doing the cleanse, "I was very hungry, therefore I was evil. When we wrapped the movie, I was so excited … I ate a whole dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts."

Skip the junk food

Dietitians say some of the plans aren't calorie bargains.

Bauer calculated that drinking 12 cups of the Master Cleanse mixture is 1,300 calories, and for that amount, a dieter could have a full day's worth of healthful foods including whole-grain cereal, milk, grapefruit, a turkey sandwich, carrots, nuts, salmon, salad and broccoli.

If you're trying to detox your body of junk food, then stop eating that kind of food, she says.

Ayoob agrees. "There are plenty of ways to clean up your diet without having to go on a fast. Keep what you are eating very, very simple: You can have a nice clean diet by eating a lot of whole foods — fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein. It's a very healthful way of eating, and you can lose weight on it. It's also safer than doing a fast."