Joyce Jiang, a young professional woman in Hong Kong, sat down with her friends in a restaurant one evening. But instead of ordering a meal, she took out a bottle of juice. “I can’t eat anything,” she said. “I’m doing a detox and it’s my third day — two more days to go.”

Joyce•江（音译）一位香港年轻白领，某晚她和朋友来到一家餐厅聚餐。但是她并未点餐而是拿出一瓶果汁。“我什么也不能吃，”她说，“今天是我排毒的第三天，还有两天才大功告成。”

Juicing, a trend originating from the US, is starting to attract health-conscious middle-class Chinese. But it’s not for losing weight. They consume nothing except fruit and vegetable juice for days or even weeks, with the intention of cleansing¹ their bodies of toxins³ that have accumulated over the years.

果汁排毒这种健康风潮起源于美国，如今正受到追求健康的中国中产阶层人士的青睐。但是这并不是一种减肥方法。他们会一连数日、甚至几周的时间只喝果蔬汁，为的是要清除多年来囤积在体内的毒素。

A recent Wall Street Journal article reported that detoxing and cleansing has become a big industry in the US with celebrity⁴ endorsers⁵ and millions of dollars in venture capital funds. Carrying a bottle of juice has become a status symbol in fitness circles.

华尔街日报》近日刊登文章指出，在美国排毒净化已经成为一项极具规模的产业，各界名流争相为其代言，并拉来上百万美元的风投资金。在健身界，随身携带一瓶果汁已经成为一种社会地位的象征。

But can such detox regimens really flush out toxins from our bodies? As The Wall Street Journal article points out, the question we should be asking is: Are our bodies really overwhelmed with toxins?

但是这种排毒法真的能够清除体内毒素吗？这篇发表在《华尔街日报》上的文章指出，我们应该弄清楚的问题是：我们体内真的充满了毒素吗？

First of all, what are toxins? “Nobody has ever been able to tell me what these toxins are,” Donald Hensrud, a nutrition specialist told The Wall Street Journal.

首先要说的是，什么是毒素？营养专家唐纳德•韩思鲁德在接受《华尔街日报》采访时表示：“到目前为止，还没有人能够告诉我，这些毒素到底是什么。”

In a comment piece on juicing hype in the US, Katy Waldman, a staff writer for Slate⁶ magazine, also declared that after days of research she still didn’t know what a toxin² was.

而美国《石板》杂志特约撰稿人凯迪•瓦尔德曼也在一篇探讨果汁排毒炒作的评论文章中指出，经过几天的研究过后，她还是没有弄清毒素是什么。

Detox advocates define “toxins” very broadly. Mark Hyman, a US physician and author of six best-selling diet books, told The Wall Street Journal that the biggest toxic⁷ threats come from the American diet. According to Hyman, Americans eat too much sugar and flour, which overwhelms the liver’s ability to cope.

排毒拥趸们对毒素的定义太宽泛。身为六本畅销节食书作者的马可•海曼医师在接受《华尔街日报》采访时表示，最大的毒素威胁来源于美式饮食本身。海曼医师指出，美国人过量摄入了糖和面粉，致使肝脏不堪重负。

Hyman says Americans are also being plagued by heavy metals (including mercury from large fish), harmful chemicals, as well as “spiritual toxins”, such as loneliness. He says people can reduce their exposure to and enhance their ability to get rid of such toxins with the right balance of foods, vitamins and minerals.

他提到，美国人同样深受重金属（包括大型鱼类中所含的汞）、有害化学成分以及孤独等“精神毒素”的侵害。他表示，人们可以通过减少与这些毒素的接触，以及保持饮食、维他命和矿物质的均衡摄入，进而到达增强自身排毒能力的目的。

But even Hyman concedes further research is needed to better understand the mechanism⁸ of a detox.

海曼也承认需要通过进一步的研究才能更好地弄清排毒方法。

Eating more vegetables is great, as some detox regimens ask people to do. But many mainstream⁹ experts dismiss the detox claims as pseudoscience. They argue that humans already have a highly efficient system for filtering out most harmful substances.

一些排毒养生法倡导人们多吃蔬菜，这的确对健康大有益处。但是很多主流权威专家并不承认排毒这一说法，称其为伪科学。他们认为人类自身已经具备一套高效的排毒过滤系统。

“The whole cleansing concept is silly,” Elizabeth Applegate, a senior lecturer in the nutrition department at the University of California, Davis, told Slate magazine. “The body doesn’t need any help getting rid of compounds it doesn’t want. That’s what your liver and kidneys are for.”

“整个排毒净化理念根本就是无稽之谈。”加州大学戴维斯分校营养学系高级讲师伊丽莎白•艾伯盖特在接受《石板》杂志采访时表示。“不用借助任何外力的帮助，人体便能清除那些无用的化合物。这就是肝和肾的功能。”

What about the psychological benefits some detox proponents¹⁰ claim to have? They say it gives them a sharp mind and makes them feel happy and see things more clearly.

那么一些排毒拥趸们口中的心理益处指的是什么呢？他们称排毒还给他们一个清醒的头脑，令他们更开心，看事物也更清晰。

“Placebo¹¹ effect,” Applegate said. “It’s a survival mechanism. You’re all amped up and alert because you need something to eat.”

艾伯盖特说：“这是安慰剂效应。其实就是一种生存机制，在你需要食物时，就会兴奋和警醒起来。”