As a doctor and journalist who works to uncover misleading diet trends, the teatox trend is a worrying one that has been raised to me by girls and women desperate to lose weight.

Teatoxes are detox teas that claim to detoxify the body and assist weight loss. BUT most dieters have no idea that the laxative (called senna) in these teatoxes DO NOT cause weight loss BUT can cause extreme dehydration and damage your colon, liver, heart and muscles if taken for longer than 1-2 weeks. Excess consumption can cause death. 

Bootea's teatoxes are designed to be taken for 28 days - that's 3 weeks longer than is safe to take laxatives!*  In reality, there is not a shred of scientific evidence anywhere that senna is a weight loss/detox substance. It is a laxative designed for treating constipation by irritating the lining of the bowels.

Any perceived weight loss is just water weight.

Teatoxes are marketed to teens on social media as a safe and natural weight loss remedy, with celebrities endorsing the tea - making it seem like laxative misuse is normal and glamorous. 

Bootea was asked to stop referring to its tea as a weight loss solution by the Advertising Standards Agency in 2014, but it still uses phrases like ’get you in shape’ and '28 days to a slimmer you' on its website and Instagram when referring to its tea. (Bootea makes a laxative-free version of its tea, but it is hard to find and not even sold on their website!) 

Please sign this petition to encourage Bootea to REMOVE THE LAXATIVE SENNA from its teatox and make its products safe. And for Holland and Barrett to stop selling laxative-containing Bootea as a health product.This should pave the way for other teatox companies to follow suit. Let's take a stand against misleading and dangerous diet products!

Thank you and please sign & share!

References

Full investigation into laxatives in teatoxes

* US National Library of Medicine's outline of the dangers of misusing this laxative.

** Advertising Standards Order Bootea to remove false claims from its marketing