JAMEELA Jamil recently criticised Cardi B for promoting “nonsense detox tea” on social media.
Cardi is just the latest celeb to put her banging bod down to slimming supplements.
Jameela blasted rapper Cardi B for flogging “nonsense detox tea” to her followers, sharing Cardi’s promo video with saying: “GOD I hope all these celebrities all s*** their pants in public, the way the poor women who buy this nonsense upon their recommendation do.”
The Kardashians are notorious for promoting diet teas, as are reality TV stars from programmes like Towie – including Lauren Goodger and Kady McDermott.
But just how legit are these slimming products? Do they really work or are their weight loss promises simply based around the fact that you’ll be too preoccupied in the bathroom to think about snacking?
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical director of patient.info, told The Sun Online: “Our bodies – particularly our lives and kidneys – do an amazing job of ‘detoxing’ our bodies 24 hours a day by filtering and removing toxins and waste products from our bodies.
“We certainly don’t need teas or any other detox products to help.
“At best, they’re an expensive con. At worst, if they do contain ingredients that cause diarrhoea, they could be harmful. When you have diarrhoea you’re mostly losing water (which may make you a couple of pounds lighter but only until you start drinking again).
“But you can also lose vital minerals and salt, which can upset the whole body balance and lead to muscle weakness, dizziness and worse.”
We asked GP Dr Jarvis and Ruth Kander, Consultant Dietician at Fleet Street Clinic, about the most dubious celeb endorsements… and why you’re better off saving your money:
Lauren Googder, Skinny coffee
Ther former TOWIE star has openly battled with her weight for some time, and last month posted this body transformation saying that it was entirely down to drinking Skinny Coffee.
“I lost 6lbs in just SEVEN days,” she wrote, “it was insane! It’s been the only diet product I’ve found that’s worked for me.”
Skinny Coffee say that “92 per cent of customers looked visibly thinner in just one week”.
Dr Jarvis says: “Again, no evidence for any of these ingredients helping with weight loss.
“Garcinia cambogia is widely marketed for weight loss, but the few studies there have been show minimal (maximum 2lb) benefit, and even this may well have been for reasons other than the supplement.”
Ruth says that coffee itself can have a laxative effect on some people but interestingly, some of the ingredients in Skinny Coffee are quite decent.
Although there is “no evidence in the medical literature and medical scientific trial to show that this helps to lose weight. None of the ingredients are reported to scientifically or clinically cause weight loss”, she said.
Spirulina, for example, may reduce blood pressure and lower blood sugar, while chlorella is a type of algae which may help to improve cholesterol.
But neither has been found to aid weight loss and we don’t really know how effective they may in ground up in minute quantities in coffee.
Cardi B – Teami, Skinny Blend
In a video on her Instagram, Cardi said: “This is my body four months after giving birth. I want to thank Teami.
“Teami really helped me in the process of losing my baby weight. Every morning or some mornings I would drink Teami to help me curb my appetite and help my metabolism go a little bit faster.
“No b*tch, I didn’t get lipo, I worked really f*ckng hard.”
The brand offer a “30:7 plan” – 30-day detox drinking Teami Skinny blend every morning and Teami Colon Cleanse every other night for 30 days.
The next seven days you drink Profit blend to “refuel and balance”. So that’s 30 days repeated three times – it takes four months to complete.
The brand claims that their tea “Improves digestive system, blood circulation, immune system, blood sugar levels and pancreatic functions”
Teami Skinny tea claims not to have laxative effects – “you can drink as many cups as you like”.
Dr Jarvis says: “Again, no scientific evidence for weight loss from a very expensive product.
“Jiao gulan has been claimed to improve cholesterol, but there is little evidence it actually does so, and no evidence for any of its other claims.”
While tea and coffee may increase your metabolism in general, the FDA has warned that certain slimming products do come with health risks. Often, they’re not endorsed by official bodies so there’s no saying what’s been approved by medical experts or not.
They can disrupt your menstrual system
One student who went on the Bootea cleanse found that it stopped her periods, while Skinny Me Tea warns slimmers that their evening tea “may render the contraceptive pill ineffective”.
They often contain diuretics – even if they don’t have laxatives
- dehydration
- electrolytes loss or fluctuations, causing cardiac arrhythmia
- muscle cramps
- diarrhoea
- fluid loss followed by fluid regain
They promote a dangerous mental relationship to food
Often these detoxes are branded as “movements”, which suggest slimmers embark on month-long “journeys” without giving much guidance around the food the people should be eating.
One blogger, the Lifting Fairy, said that she lost a load of weight very fast from the BooTea detox “but NOT because of this Teatox, but because I couldn’t eat anymore.
“I constantly had bellyaches and diarrhea. I didn’t feel good at all and In addition to the bellyaches I also had many headaches and my whole body felt bad.”
Kady McDermott – Nutribuddy, Breakfast shake
The TOWIE new girl and model has her own BodyGoalsByKady app for HIIT, glute and ab blast plans. Her fitness empire is all about healthy, balanced eating and effective workouts that can be done anywhere and often without any equipment.
So it seems a little disturbing that Kady also promotes Nutribuddy slimming shakes.
She’s written on Instagram that their breakfast shakes have helped her get through the morning without feeling the need to snack and that they satisfy her sweet cravings.
The brand also sells meal replacement bundles, summer body kits, hunger fixes and a hot drink called ‘HotSlim’, which it says is “ideal as a late-night snack instead of a naughty hot chocolate”.
Dr Jarvis says: “I can find no evidence that any of these ingredients act as significant laxatives, or have any other proven weight loss benefits.
“Oats do contain soluble fibre, which can help prevent constipation, but the quantities needed are likely to be much greater than those found in this sort of drink.
“Eating a bowl of porridge oats (without too much sugar!) would be much more likely to benefit your health.”
Meanwhile, Ruth says: “The Lucuma powder may have a laxative effect as its effectively powdered fruit.”
A spokesperson for Nutribuddy told The Sun: “A study was conducted at the University of Oxford on the safety and effectiveness of a low-calorie meal replacement shake diet.
“The study, published on 26 September 2018, yielded results that showed that the participants on a meal replacement shake diet lost significantly more weight than those on a regular weight loss diet. Furthermore, the participants on the low-calorie meal replacement diet showed improvements in their blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
“With regard to active weight loss ingredients, there is only one ingredient that has been authorised by the European Commission in regards to weight loss health claims. Ingredients are only authorised if they are backed by significant Scientific evidence. The authorised ingredient is glucomannan which is the key ingredient in Nutribuddy Hunger Fix and is included in many of the Nutribuddy kits.”
Blac Chyna – Flat Tummy Co, Shake it Baby
Flat Tummy Co claims that their shakes are three times more effective ‘than diet or exercise alone’, which is a pretty bold statement given that many gym professionals would say that the answer to fat loss is exercise and good nutrition.
How has Flat Tummy managed to outwit traditional laws of biology? By creating a “Super Citrimax” – a patented and “clinically studied digestive blend” enzymes, probiotics, plant protein, 22 vitamins and minerals, and extracts from more than 50 fruit and veg.
Sounds like a lot, right? One shake has over 85 ingredients per serving, from yumberry to pyridoxine HCL (a B vitamin).
“There is nothing in this drink to promote slimming unless it’s drunk instead of food and then you will be cutting calories and all the nutrients,” said Ruth.
“There is no scientific evidence to support that the ingredients in this drink or this drink can promote slimming. I don’t recognise any of the ingredients being laxatives as such.
Khloe Kardashian – Protein World, Slender Blend
Protein World calls their slimming shake “weight loss perfected”, and promises that it’ll help to lose up to 4lbs a week, thanks to a “thermogenic blend of guarana extract and green tea extract”.
Each serving contains 24mg of caffeine – or 90mg if you drink the coffee flavour.
Thermogenesis is the metabolic process during which your body burns calories to produce heat.
It increases your body’s overall calorie burn, meaning that when paired with a generally lower calorie diet and regular exercise regime, it can help you to lose weight body fat – and you can achieve that by eating chillis, cinnamon and coffee.
Dr Jarvis says: “This product has no idea what it’s trying to do! It contains a hotch potch of unrelated ingredients, a few of which (such as the probiotics) might conceivably improve your gut health.
“But there is absolutely no evidence that this will help you lose weight by burning more calories, which is presumably what the manufacturers mean by a ‘thermogenic blend’.”
“I get upset with celebrities who promote these products as they are not necessary for everyday life and they should be promoting healthy living and a healthy balanced diet.”
Ruth added.
“I do think that sometimes celebrities can be a little irresponsible.
“They probably do work if you eat no food and just drink ‘slimming’ tea/coffee/shakes, but that would be dangerous to your health.
“There is absolutely no need for any detox as you have a liver and kidney that detoxifies and cleans the body for you.
“If you have a heavy weekend or few days with lots of rich food and lots of drinks you may feel like you need to detox.
“In this situation, I would suggest having three meals a day and eating plenty and vegetables, being well hydrated with water and having fruits, fresh proteins and carbohydrates in moderate portions.”
So, that’s the end of it.
The Sun has reached out to all brands for comment.
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