Juice cleanses, a popular trend in health and wellness, involve consuming only fruit and vegetable juices for a short duration, typically between 3 and 7 days. While these cleanses claim to offer detoxification benefits, recent findings indicate potential adverse effects on the gut microbiome. A small study revealed that a three-day juice cleanse could alter the microbiome, leading to increased inflammatory bacteria and decreased beneficial ones. This raises questions about the overall health implications of such practices.
Public Health England acknowledges that fruit and vegetable juices can be part of a healthy balanced diet. They recommend that a small glass of fruit juice, approximately 150ml per day, counts toward the '5 a day' servings of fruits and vegetables. However, it is advised not to exceed this amount due to the high free sugar content in juices. Despite their role in a balanced diet, juice cleanses could pose risks when used excessively or without considering individual nutritional needs.
The study in question involved 14 participants with a mean age of 22.7 years. Participants embarked on a 21-day regimen beginning with a three-day elimination diet. During this phase, they consumed organic fresh fruits, vegetables, gluten-free whole grains, and eggs, along with eight glasses of water daily to ensure hydration.
The participants were divided into two groups. Group 1 followed a 'juice fast,' consuming between 800-900 Kcal per day exclusively from cold-pressed fruit and vegetable juices. Meanwhile, Group 2 maintained a regular diet without energy restrictions but included cold-pressed juices.
"Generally there is no quick fix to improve health and for most of us, our liver and kidneys do a good job at detoxing the body. Fruit and vegetable juices can be part of a healthy balanced diet — UK Public Health England recommends that a small glass of fruit juice of 150ml a day counts toward your ‘5 a day’, but no more as juices are high in free sugar." — Megan Mehnert
Meghan Mehnert emphasizes the importance of balanced nutrition over restrictive diets like juice cleanses. She advises incorporating a variety of foods from all food groups to meet nutritional needs effectively.
"Aim to have balanced meals and snacks regularly throughout the day, with a focus on including a variety of different foods from all food groups. Any type of restrictive diet (including low calorie diets) can make it difficult for us to get the right balance of nutrition to keep us healthy," Mehnert advised.
The study's findings suggest that juice cleanses might be associated with increased inflammatory markers and potential health risks such as colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.
"Juice cleansing diets are often low in calories (and may not provide enough energy for our daily needs) and although they may be high in vitamins and minerals, they tend to lack a variety of other important nutrients that the body needs." — Megan Mehnert
“Juice and juice plus food diets have been identified as potential critical risk factors for their involvement in increasing inflammatory markers, colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, gingivitis, and periodontal disease.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns consumers about detox or cleansing products, indicating that some may contain illegal or potentially harmful ingredients. For individuals with eating disorders, juice cleanses could be particularly detrimental, exacerbating issues related to restrictive eating patterns.
“It is difficult to draw meaningful conclusions from the study; as the researchers suggested, the sample size was small, intervention was short, and [the] population group is not representative of the wider population,” she told Medical News Today.
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