Why weight loss teas can be toxic

Weight loss or detox tea may be doing more harm than good

Weight loss or detox tea may be doing more harm than good

Why weight loss teas can be toxic

Weight loss or detox tea may be doing more harm than good

Wouldn't it be great if losing weight were as easy as sipping a cup of tea? As you scroll through Instagram, there’s a good chance you’ll come upon a post in which a slim, all-around gorgeous celebrity or health influencer is raving about her favorite detox teas, also known as tea cleanses or teatoxes. Maybe she credits the stuff with jump-starting her weight loss, helping her “cleanse” or debloat before a big event or even helping her bounce back into shape after having a baby.“People who endorse these products generally get paid massive amounts of money,” said New York-based nutrition expert and registered dietitian Eliza Savage. Endorsers have a vested interest in raving about how a detox tea changed their life in an ad or Instagram post, but it doesn’t guarantee that they actually swig the stuff on a regular basis.Whatever the claim, it might get you wondering whether you could reap the same big benefits. But before you type in your credit card number and hit "order," read this. Here’s what everyone should know about these so-called miracle weight loss elixirs. What are detox teas and tea cleanses?Detox teas are teas blended with some extra herbs that claim to help you cleanse your body and shed unwanted fat. The ingredients vary from brand to brand — DetoxMe, Teami and SkinnyFit are three popular ones — but generally, you’ll get a mix of green, black or oolong, tea leaves plus other plants and herbs that are touted for their ability to help you debloat and drop pounds. Often you’ll find tea blends with dandelion root, peppermint, yerba mate, ginger, lime leaf extract and senna leaf. Do detox teas help you lose weight?The short answer: They probably won't help cleanse your body or burn fat. With all of those enthusiastic testimonials, though, it might be tempting to buy in, but manufacturers aren’t required to prove that their tea blends actually work. And indeed, there’s no convincing scientific evidence that these tea cleanses do any of the stuff that they say they do. They might contain ingredients that some findings have linked to weight loss, but those studies are often tightly controlled and use very high doses of an ingredient or compound — much more than what you’d get from a tea. “It's kind of like starting a trip with a tank full of gas versus one dollar’s worth of gas,” said Julie Stefanski, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Yes, the fuel is the same, but the amount isn’t going to get you anywhere.” Do detox teas make you rush to the bathroom? Many tea cleanses claim that they will help you "detoxify," but they don't clearly state how, and they aren't regulated by the Food & Drug Administration, so manufacturers can slap claims on product labels willy-nilly. Most of the time, they're really just code words indicating that the tea will make you urinate more or have diarrhea, Savage said.This might help you feel lighter or make your belly appear flatter, but the effects are only temporary — and they can set you up for problems. “Not only can it interfere with your normal bowel schedule, but it could lead to dehydration or throw off your normal bowel function and gut flora,” Stefanski said.There's no guarantee that detox teas are safeDietary supplements, such as vitamins, herbal supplements — and yes, detox teas — are only loosely regulated by the FDA. Manufacturers don’t have to list every single ingredient in their tea blends, so it can be hard to know what you're exactly getting — even if the label bills itself as "herbal" or "all natural." "Dietary supplements for weight loss have been found to have a high amount of adulteration. With a mixture like tea, it could contain nearly anything,” Stefanski said.And adulteration happens more often than you might think. Between 2007 and 2016, the FDA found some 750 dietary supplements to be adulterated with prescription appetite suppressants, laxatives and even steroids, according to a recent JAMA review. Still, more than half of those products were still allowed to stay on store shelves.Another important thing to remember: Even if a detox tea is made with only herbal ingredients, that doesn’t automatically mean it's harmless. “Even natural ingredients can have significant side effects,” Stefanski warned. For instance, many of the teas contain caffeine in the form of stimulants such as yerba mate or guarana. Both are considered safe in small amounts, but getting too much caffeine can cause headaches, dizziness, anxiety and even abnormal heart rhythms, according to the National Institutes of Health. The bottom line: Don't drink detox teasDetox teas and tea cleanses probably won’t help you lose weight, and they might contain additives or ingredients that mess with your health. At best, they’re a big waste of money. And at worst, they could actually make you sick. “There’s no magic pill or solution for weight loss,” Savage says. “You should avoid these products like the plague," even if you’re just looking for a fast, temporary assist to jump-start your weight loss. “If mixing berries, tea leaves and herbs together actually worked to lose weight," Stefanski said, "why wouldn’t every doctor in the country be recommending this?”

“People who endorse these products generally get paid massive amounts of money,” said New York-based nutrition expert and registered dietitian . Endorsers have a vested interest in raving about how a detox tea changed their life in an ad or Instagram post, but it doesn’t guarantee that they actually swig the stuff on a regular basis.

Whatever the claim, it might get you wondering whether you could reap the same big benefits. But before you type in your credit card number and hit "order," read this. Here’s what everyone should know about these so-called miracle weight loss elixirs.

What are detox teas and tea cleanses?

Detox teas are teas blended with some extra herbs that claim to help you cleanse your body and shed unwanted fat. The ingredients vary from brand to brand — , and are three popular ones — but generally, you’ll get a mix of green, black or oolong, tea leaves plus other plants and herbs that are touted for their ability to help you debloat and drop pounds. Often you’ll find tea blends with , peppermint, yerba mate, ginger, lime leaf extract and senna leaf.

Do detox teas help you lose weight?

The short answer: They probably won't help cleanse your body or burn fat. With all of those enthusiastic testimonials, though, it might be tempting to buy in, but manufacturers aren’t required to prove that their tea blends actually work. And indeed, there’s no convincing scientific evidence that these tea cleanses do any of the stuff that they say they do. They might contain ingredients that some findings have linked to weight loss, but those studies are often tightly controlled and use very high doses of an ingredient or compound — much more than what you’d get from a tea.

“It's kind of like starting a trip with a tank full of gas versus one dollar’s worth of gas,” said , a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Yes, the fuel is the same, but the amount isn’t going to get you anywhere.”

Do detox teas make you rush to the bathroom?

Many tea cleanses claim that they will help you "detoxify," but they don't clearly state how, and they aren't regulated by the Food & Drug Administration, so manufacturers can slap claims on product labels willy-nilly. Most of the time, they're really just code words indicating that the tea will make you urinate more or have diarrhea, Savage said.

This might help you feel lighter or make your belly appear flatter, but the effects are only temporary — and they can set you up for problems. “Not only can it interfere with your normal bowel schedule, but it could lead to or throw off your and gut flora,” Stefanski said.

There's no guarantee that detox teas are safe

Dietary supplements, such as vitamins, herbal supplements — and yes, detox teas — are only loosely regulated by the FDA. Manufacturers don’t have to list every single ingredient in their tea blends, so it can be hard to know what you're exactly getting — even if the label bills itself as "herbal" or "all natural."

"Dietary supplements for weight loss have been found to have a high amount of adulteration. With a mixture like tea, it could contain nearly anything,” Stefanski said.

And adulteration happens more often than you might think. Between 2007 and 2016, the FDA found some 750 dietary supplements to be adulterated with prescription appetite suppressants, laxatives and even steroids, according to a . Still, more than half of those products were still allowed to stay on store shelves.

Another important thing to remember: Even if a detox tea is made with only herbal ingredients, that doesn’t automatically mean it's harmless. “Even natural ingredients can have significant side effects,” Stefanski warned. For instance, many of the teas contain caffeine in the form of stimulants such as yerba mate or guarana. Both are considered safe in small amounts, but getting too much caffeine can cause headaches, dizziness, and even abnormal heart rhythms, according to the .

The bottom line: Don't drink detox teas

Detox teas and tea cleanses probably won’t help you lose weight, and they might contain additives or ingredients that mess with your health. At best, they’re a big waste of money. And at worst, they could actually make you sick.

“There’s no magic pill or solution for ,” Savage says. “You should avoid these products like the plague," even if you’re just looking for a fast, temporary assist to jump-start your weight loss.

“If mixing berries, tea leaves and herbs together actually worked to lose weight," Stefanski said, "why wouldn’t every doctor in the country be recommending this?”

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