YOU CAN’T SCROLL through Instagram these days without seeing a celebrity clutching a packet of ‘detox tea’.

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The products claim to “remove unwanted toxins” from the body while aiding weight loss, but are they safe to use? This doctor says not at all.

Dr Lauretta Ihonor has started a petition calling on one particular teatox company, Bootea, to remove the ‘dangerous laxative’ senna from its product.

She says there is no scientific evidence that laxatives cause weight loss or ‘detoxify’ the body, and celebrity endorsements make laxative misuse seem “normal and glamorous”.

Most dieters have no idea that the laxative these teatoxes include DO NOT cause weight loss but can cause extreme dehydration and damage your colon, liver and muscles if taken for longer than 1-2 weeks.

Bootea’s teatoxes are designed to be taken for 28 days – that’s three weeks longer than is safe to take laxatives.

Bootea has reportedly stopped referring to its teas as a weight loss aid, following a ruling by the UK Advertising Standards Agency in 2014.

“But the implication remains that it is a healthy weight loss solution because the company still uses phrases like ‘get you in shape’,” Dr Ihonor says.

Dr Ihonor’s petition is garnering a lot of attention online, with signatories saying the teas are “misleading” and “dangerous” to young people.

You can read more about about the petition here.

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