Colon cleansing is promoted on television and on numerous websites as a convenient method to lose weight quickly. Companies that sell special cleansing kits also guarantee the products will free your body from toxins that accumulate from meat, sugar and alcohol. While cleansing may help you temporarily lose water weight, doctors warn that the procedures often result in the need for surgery to repair rectal damage. Know the risks of colon cleansing before considering any unproven method for weight loss.
Cleansing Claims
Cleansing is often promoted as a way to achieve substantial weight reduction in a short time period, as well as to clean your body of toxins that cause allergies or arthritis. Celebrities who endorse cleansing often claim to benefit from increased energy that accompanies weight loss. Most cleansing is accomplished through cleanse kits that accompany detox diets. The kits may contain herbs and saltwater, as well as a laxative and typically have not been tested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
How They Work
Cleansing kits are designed to empty your colon by causing rapid bowel movements and urination, although people who follow a detox plan may undergo an enema. Colonic irrigation, or hydrotherapy, is also a component of some diets. People who seek the procedures allow water to be flushed inside the rectum with one tube and drained through an additional tube several times during one treatment.
Evidence of Weight Loss
While new claims about the benefits of colon cleansing appear on a regular basis, those who sell cleansing kits fail to offer evidence that demonstrates significant weight loss. Frequent visits to your restroom may result in short-term loss of water weight, although you won't lose fat since your body absorbs the majority of calories before they enter your intestines. Doctors consider cleansing largely unneeded, because a normal bowel movement usually cleans your intestines of any accumulated waste and your liver neutralizes dangerous toxins. Your colon also replaces old cells once or twice weekly, which prevents harmful buildup.
Cleansing Health Concerns
People who undergo cleanse procedures and enemas outside of a supervised medical setting often suffer rectal perforations that require surgical treatment. Bypassing regular nutrition for liquid cleanse mixtures also elevates your risk for nausea and dehydration, along with dizzy spells. Some laxatives contained in cleanse kits include sodium phosphate, which may trigger a dangerous rise in your body's level of electrolytes and can result in serious complications for people with kidney or cardiac disease.
