Diet programs come and go and every year seems to bring a new "proven method" to take off the pounds, become healthier in the process and essentially change your entire life style as the new you emerges. Indeed, some diets just reinvent themselves and cycle back into popularity every few years. The detox diet, which really has been around for centuries, is one of those.

There are many detox diet books and programs in the stores today and they all have their own particular viewpoint on how best to cleanse the body and rid it of toxins. However, most all of these programs boil down to the essential fact that they are extremely low calorie and primarily liquid diets.

Rather than go through the subtle variations that exist between different detox diet programs, I would like to concentrate on the dangers and side effects of this kind of a diet.

When you are no longer taking solid food and you go through a period of fasting vitamin deficiencies occur as well as muscle breakdown and blood sugar problems. When we deprive our bodies of the vitamins and minerals that they need and get from solid food we run the risk of actually weakening the body's ability to battle infections and a whole host of biological attacks.

In addition, because what we do take in has many of the qualities of a laxative, we will soon find ourselves running to the bathroom regularly and having liquid bowel movements. Because detox diets upset sodium, potassium and blood sugar levels, those who suffer from either diabetes, heart or kidney problems or who are pregnant should stay far away frm these types of diets.

Indeed, many health experts claim that our body does not need any type of extreme diet to cleanse itself. They say that the body does a very good job of ridding itself of toxins and that there is no scientific evidence that detox diets are either helpful or necessary. Healthy folks already have a kind of built-in detoxification system working in their bodies; the liver, lungs, kidneys and skin.

This time around, detox diets have gotten a huge bump in popularity from stories of celebrities who have used these diets and have successfully lost weight. Beyonce, Gwyneth Paltrow and Oprah Winfrey are a few of the notable personalities who have publicly stated that they have used these programs. Is it any wonder that the detox diet has captured the imagination of the public?

Diet programs that are successful and long lasting usually involve changes in personal habits and lifestyle. Any diet that succeeds in the short term due to a jarring impact on the body usually fails in the long run because the weight is immediately put back on once the fasting stage is over. Detox diets may also have dangerous consequences to one's health that should not be ignored when considering whether or not to start a program of this kind.