Medical experts warn against Master Cleanse

The ADA considers the diet to be starvation.

By Grace Clarke

Published April 6, 2009

When already thin 5-foot-3-inch MU senior Katie Theissen was looking to drop weight quickly, she didn't double up on exercise or increase her intake of leafy greens.

Instead, she took the more drastic approach. She started the Master Cleanse, a fast that includes subsisting for at least 10 days solely on an elixir of lemon juice, cayenne pepper unrefined maple syrup and water.

The 68-year-old Master Cleanse diet may help users effectively drop weight and clean your system, but the fast comes with some dirty and dangerous side effects, medical experts have said.

Also known as the lemonade diet, the diet has gained in popularity, in part due to celebrities who swear by the regimen, such as Beyoncé Knowles. Fasters complain about the required morning saltwater flush that might mean increased time on the toilet.

"The fast is tough in almost every way, but I'm never hungry," Theissen said.

She said her primary reason for cleansing was because of her "ridiculous Easy-Mac habit." She said flaunting a bikini-ready body was a close second.

Although popular diets and fasts come and go, Master Cleanse remains a perennial favorite.

Created by Stanley Burroughs in 1941 and made popular by Peter Glickman through his 2005 book, "Lose Weight, Have More Energy and Be Happier in 10 Days," the fast claims to remove harmful toxins from within the body as well as reducing weight.

According to Burroughs' book, the lemon acts as a purifier and provides potassium, the cayenne pepper adds B and C vitamins and aids in circulation and maple syrup, a sugar, provides energy and minerals.

Burroughs suggests fasters drink anywhere from six to 12 glasses of the mixture a day and strongly advocates adding a sea salt mixture in the morning and an herbal laxative tea in the evening.

With celebrities making the diet popular, Americans are more eager than ever to test the diet.

American Dietetic Association spokeswoman Melinda Johnson warns dieters of the dangers.

"There is no scientific evidence that you need anything like this or any other detoxification program to cleanse your body or help you lose weight," she said.

The ADA estimates fasters who drink six glasses of the lemony potion a day -- the low end of the recommended amount -- are consuming only 650 calories, far less than the 1,600-plus calories the average woman needs to maintain her weight or the 2,400 calories a man requires.

"Of course you're going to lose weight," said William Todd Cade, a physical therapy instructor at Washington University. "You're starving yourself."

And the weight loss of up to two pounds a day comes with a caveat, Cade said.

"Seldom do the pounds stay off," Cade said. "After all, it's mostly water weight."

Clover's Market, a health food store in Columbia, sells the diet's ingredients.

Former cleanser and Columbia resident Colleen Hawk warns eager fasters to stay near a restroom.

"My human interaction was limited to reading tabloids in the bathroom," Hawk said. "I had to forego so many lunch and dinner dates and going to the movies without popcorn was truly torture. But of all the diets I've tried, the MC has been the most long-lasting."

Despite medical criticism, the Master Cleanse continues to attract dieters.

"I know it gets a bad rep in the press, but it works for me," Theissen said. "The hardest part has been not going out my last semester here. But I'll be skinny and gorgeous when I move to L.A."