Shark Tank India 4: Namita Thapar calls out fake ‘detox’ drink, says ‘This is just juice…”

In the latest season of Shark Tank India, a team of founders pitched Utopian, a health drink brand, seeking Rs 40 lakh for 1.8 per cent equity, valuing the company at Rs 22.22 crore.

The founders of the company claimed that juices and smoothies don’t have sugar and preservatives. However, the Executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals was not convinced.

On reading the label, which claimed the drinks were “detoxifying,” she lost her patience. “This is just juice, ismein detox kuch nahi hai,” she told the founders, who admitted that they used the word detox to evoke nostalgia.

She pointed out that their product was simply juice and had nothing to do with detoxification. She also noted how the brand cleverly named their drinks ‘D-tox’ to bypass legal scrutiny.

What are detox drinks and do they work?

In the recent years, there has been a lot of hype about detox juices, smoothies and supplements that claim that they can flush out toxins from your body. Liver, an important organ of your body, is actually responsible for detoxing your body. It is the human body’s primary filtration system, converting toxins into waste products, cleansing your blood, and metabolising nutrients and medications to provide the body with some of its most important proteins.

According to Science Alerts, detoxes are prevalent on social media and spruiked by brands offering detox products, celebrities and influencers. Over the years, detox products sold over the counter or online are typically teas or drinks to be consumed instead of food.

A review published in 2022 found detox diets failed to identify plausible pathways by which toxins could be eliminated, or the specific toxins supposedly removed by a particular diet, Science Alert reported. In the review, the scientists also pointed out that detoxes defy the general principles of human physiology, in that the liver and kidneys are quite efficient at removing toxins from our bodies.

A previous review from 2015 similarly found studies did not provide convincing evidence to support the use of detox diets.