Detox diet danger claim

23rd, July 2008

A woman has received an £800,000 settlement from a nutritionist's insurers after claiming she was brain damaged by a detox diet.

Dawn Page suffered an epileptic seizure, which she claims was caused by a detox diet. The seizure caused brain damage that left her unable to work as an events organiser because her memory, speech and concentration were affected.

She claims the detox diet was recommended by nutritionist Barbara Nash, who Mrs Page also claims told her that uncontrollable vomiting was part of the detox process.

Barbara Nash’s insurers granted a settlement but have not admitted liability. Plexus Law, which represented Mrs Nash, said: "On behalf of our client we wish to make it clear that all allegations of substandard practice made on behalf of Mrs Page in the litigation, have always been and continue to remain firmly denied.

"Equally the information contained in the medical records suggesting that Mrs Page appeared to have drunk five litres of water on the day that she was admitted to hospital, and therefore disregarded advice given by our client, were also denied by Mrs Page.

"In our view as a recognition of this, the settlement amount agreed to be paid was less than half the total amount claimed and the compromise which was offered and accepted was on the basis of no admission of liability.

"As far as we are concerned the case has now been concluded."

Nutritionists are not regulated in the UK, and there has been call for regulation to ensure that the public are not given bad advice. The British Dietetic Association and the Food Standards Agency do not recommend ‘detox diets’.

In a British Dietetic Association fact sheet Amanda Dietitian Johnson said: “Detox diets are marketing myths rather than nutritional reality. They sound like a great concept and it would be fabulous if they really delivered all that they promised! Unfortunately, many of the claims made by detox diet promoters are wild and exaggerated.”

Andrew Wadge, the Food Standard Agency’s Chief Scientist said in his ‘hungry for science’ blog site: “There's a lot of nonsense talked about 'detoxing'”

“Most people seem to forget that we are born with a built-in detox mechanism. It's called the liver. So my advice would be to ditch the detox diets and supplements and buy yourself something nice with the money you've saved."

Detox diet danger claim

A woman has received an £800,000 settlement from a nutritionist's insurers after claiming she was brain damaged by a detox diet.

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