|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A Facebook reel indicates that blending pineapple, cucumber, celery plant, and lemons can be used to clean the liver.
Verdict: Insufficient evidence! There is no enough proof to support the benefit of juice-based diets in cleaning the liver.
Full Text
The liver is a critical organ in the human body responsible for an array of functions that help support metabolism, immunity, digestion, detoxification, and vitamin storage, among other functions. It comprises around 2% of an adult’s body weight.
Alfred Healing Home shared a reel stating that blending pineapples, cucumbers, lemons, and celery plants can clean the liver. The video was captioned, “This juice will help clean the liver.”
Since we filed this report, the video has generated 6,600 likes, 152 comments, and 1900 shares. The assertion of using different types of fruits to clean the liver or kidney is common on social media sites like TikTok and Facebook.
Due to the virality and health implications of the assertion, DUBAWA investigated the claim.
Verification
According to Medical News, increased fluid consumption can help the kidney function, and some nutritional compounds may help remove non-organic waste products in the body. Some people often claim that the mixture can remove toxins from a person’s system.
However, insufficient evidence suggests that juice cleanses or other detoxification diets possess the ability to remove toxins. Consuming a balanced diet and drinking plenty of fluids is the best way to support the body’s natural detoxifying functions.
We spoke with Kemi Abidakun, a dietician, who explained that pineapple and cucumber can help detoxify. Combining other things like lemons might be risky for the body because of their compositions. She then advised patients or people who want detox to talk to their doctors.
In addition, she stated that “lemon is used to treat liver ailments in tribal medicine. Studies have shown the effects of lemon juice on chronic alcohol-induced liver injuries. Lemon juice has a protective impact on alcohol-induced liver injury.”
Samuel Olatunji, a generalist doctor, also explained that the liver is an organ that detoxifies or cleanses the body and blood. He explained that the orthodox medical practice does not believe in cleansing the liver.
“We believe that the liver detoxifies the body. For example, every drug has the potential to be toxic, but the liver helps in that aspect. It reduces the chance of ordinary paracetamol killing you.
“It takes the first hit when there is a toxic exposure to the body either in the form of drugs or some of this herbal concoction that people take. That is why when someone has liver failure, we first reduce the drugs we give because the smallest drug can be toxic in the presence of a failed liver. So my practice does not support the claim,” he expatiated.
Conclusion
Fruits are generally good for the body. However, orthodox medical practice does not support combining different fruit juices to clean the liver. Studies also show no scientific explanation of how fruit mixture cleanses the liver.
