Colon Cleansing and Weight Loss

Colon cleansing and weight loss is a popular topic, but is colon cleansing really an effective and safe way to lose weight?

There are two basic ways to cleanse the colon - colon cleansing products and colon hydrotherapy (also known as colon irrigation or high colonics).Colon cleansing and weight loss is a popular topic, but is colon cleansing really an effective and safe way to lose weight?

Colon cleansing products include supplements in powdered, liquid or capsule form and detoxifying teas. Colon hydrotherapy is a procedure conducted by a colon hydrotherapist where a rubber tube is inserted into the rectum and the colon is then flushed with water. Additives such as probiotics,
enzymes and herbs may be added to the water.

The Internet is full of websites promoting colon cleansing. These websites warn that over time the walls of your colon become encrusted with accumulated fecal matter that contains toxins, and these toxins are then absorbed by your body.

These websites claim that this accumulated fecal matter causes health problems such as weight gain, constipation, gas and bloating, and fatique. Colon cleansing is touted as the way to clear out this accumulated fecal matter and alleviate the health problems associated with it.

The reality is that although doctors prescribe colon cleansing as preparation for medical procedures such as a colonoscopy, most doctors don't recommend colon cleansing for detoxification. This is because there's no scientific evidence that supports the alleged benefits of colon cleansing. Barring drugs, disease or mechanical blockage, the colon cleans itself naturally without assistance and the walls of the colon do not become encrusted with accumulated fecal matter.

But what about those pictures of large, abnormal looking stools on many colon cleansing websites that are touted as "evidence" that people's colons are coated with layers of accumulated fecal matter? Those stools are actually created by the colon cleansing products themselves. Most colon cleansing products contain bentonite clay, which is a type of edible clay that absorbs water in the colon and forms a gel. This gel combines with other common ingredients in colon cleansing products, such as psyllium, and the result is large, abnormal looking stools.

You also need to know that colon cleansing is not without risk. It can cause nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramps. It can cause a dangerous loss of water and electrolytes, which can lead to dehydration and even abnormal heart rhythms. It can upset the body's own finely tuned bacterial balance. Colon hydrotherapy can result in infection or perforation of the bowel.

With regard to colon cleansing and weight loss, it's possible to lose some weight using a colon cleanser, but the weight loss will just be water weight since colon cleansers cause a person to discharge more fluid than usual during a bowel movement. The weight will return as soon as the lost fluids are replaced. Increasing the number of bowel movements has nothing to do with losing body fat (which is the type of weight you want to lose), because the body absorbs most of the calories in food well before food reaches the colon.

The bottom line when it comes to colon cleansing and weight loss is that colon cleansing is an ineffective and potentially unsafe way to lose weight.

If you need to lose weight, forget about colon cleansing and instead follow a proven weight loss program like Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle that focuses on nutrition and exercise. To learn more about Burn The Fat, Feed The Muscle, Click Here.