You cannot speed up and improve your body’s detox pathways by drinking detox water. But it’s still a refreshing drink with some health benefits.
There’s a lot of hype about the supposed health benefits of “detox water.”
Yes, staying hydrated is important for health. And drinking eight glasses of water per day is a common recommendation.
But some people think adding extra ingredients to water boosts its health benefits. The result, called detox water, is said to help your body get rid of toxins, improve your energy levels, and help you lose weight.
This article takes a closer look at detox water, its true health benefits versus unproven claims.
Detox water is water that has been infused with the flavors of fresh fruits, vegetables, or herbs. It’s sometimes referred to as fruit-infused water or fruit-flavored water.
Because it’s made by infusing flavor, rather than juicing or blending, detox water contains very few calories. That makes it a popular drink for detox regimens like the “lemon water detox.”
Detox water is also often recommended in weight loss plans, especially in place of high-sugar drinks like soda and fruit juice.
Making detox water at home is very simple. All you need is water and a selection of fruits, vegetables, and herbs.
Simply chop your ingredients and add them to hot or cold water, depending on your preference. The more of an ingredient you use, the stronger the flavor will become.
Crushing or bruising fruits and herbs can help release more of their flavors.
If you’re making a cold drink, you can leave the detox water in the fridge for 1 to 12 hours to allow the flavors to infuse more deeply. Be sure to remove the ingredients after this time, though, so they don’t begin to decompose.
Here are some popular detox water recipe combinations:
- cucumber and mint
- lemon and ginger
- blackberry and orange
- lemon and cayenne pepper
- watermelon and mint
- grapefruit and rosemary
- orange and lemon
- lemon and lime
- strawberry and basil
- apple and cinnamon
Drinking detox water could help you lose weight, improve your digestive health, and make you happier. However, it’s worth noting that you’ll also get all these benefits from drinking regular water.
Helps with weight loss
Drinking water may help you lose weight, and this applies to detox water too. Water has been shown to temporarily raise your metabolic rate, so you burn more calories.
In a
Johns Hopkins University notes the following reasons why drinking more water may help you lose weight. Drinking water:
- may naturally suppress your appetite (a
2016 study found that people who drank two glasses of water before a meal ate 22% less than those who didn’t) - may stimulate your metabolism.
- could reduce your overall liquid calorie intake (reducing the amount of high calorie or sweetened beverages you drink)
- helps during exercise by dissolving electrolytes and distributing them throughout your body.
- helps remove waste by increasing the production of urine and keeping stools soft.
- keeps you from being dehydrated, which may improve motivation and reduce stress (dehydration can increase your body’s production of cortisol, a stress hormone.
Improves digestive health
Hydration is important for digestive health and maintaining regular bowel movements. Chronic dehydration can cause constipation, which can make you feel bloated and sluggish.
A
Drinking plenty of water may help food pass smoothly through your gut and prevent you from becoming constipated.
Improves mood and energy levels
Even mild dehydration can affect mood, concentration, and energy levels.
Research, such as this
Another
If you’re not drinking enough, increasing your water intake could improve your mood and give you more energy.
Boosts immune function
This is one claim about detox water that may be a little exaggerated.
It’s true that eating fruits and vegetables, and even fruit juices, can help support your immune system. Vitamin C, in particular, has been shown to benefit your immune system when consumed on a regular basis.
However, the amount of these nutrients that you’d get from an infusion like detox water is likely to be minimal and highly variable.
Although it’s theoretically possible, it’s unlikely that detox water has any meaningful effect on immune function.
Many myths surround detox water. Some are not supported by science, and others have been shown to be downright false.
Myth 1: It detoxifies your body
Detoxification is a popular claim for many diets, cleanses, and nutrition products like detox water.
Detox products often claim to improve health and well-being by eliminating toxins from the body and aiding weight loss.
However, both “toxins” and “detox” are vague terms. They don’t really define what is eliminated or how it happens.
Your body has well-designed detox pathways that eliminate toxins from the body. There’s currently no evidence that any product or diet speeds them up or makes them more efficient.
Myth 2: It balances your pH
“Alkalizing” foods and drinks are a popular dietary trend at the moment.
They’re said to promote a more alkaline environment in the body. According to the acid-alkaline theory of disease, this will promote better health.
However, this theory isn’t supported by science. It’s impossible to alter the pH of your blood or cells through the foods you eat.
Myth 3: It improves your complexion
As with many other detox products, some people claim that detox water flushes toxins from your skin and improves its appearance.
However, there’s little evidence to back up these claims. Drinking water will improve your skin’s hydration if you’re dehydrated. However, it won’t change the appearance of your skin unless the dehydration is severe.
There’s no evidence that detox water is more effective than plain water for this.
In summary, detox water won’t help you flush toxins from your body or make it more alkaline. There’s also no evidence that it will improve your complexion.
The idea that you can speed up and improve your body’s detox pathways by drinking detox water is unlikely.
That said, detox water is still a healthy drink with a few health benefits. Nevertheless, you could probably get most of these benefits from drinking regular water.
However, people often find plain water boring.
If infusing your water with fruits and vegetables means that you drink the recommended amount of water each day and fewer sugary drinks, then it can only be a good thing.