Scroll through gut-health content on TikTok and you’ll find parasite cleanses, colon flushes, and a ritual glass of hot water each morning, all promising a better microbiome. Dr. Tim Spector, scientific co-founder of ZOE and professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, tells Lauren Wilkin of Talker News that none of these viral fixes hold up, and some could hurt you.
Why these gut hacks fall flat
Parasite cleanses top the list. “There’s no good evidence that people need to routinely ‘cleanse’ themselves of parasites to improve their gut health,” Spector says, noting such cleanses “can sometimes do more harm than good,” especially with harsh laxatives or unproven products.
Colonic irrigation fares no better. “Your gut doesn’t need to be flushed out to be healthy. The colon is remarkably good at doing its job,” Spector notes—the liver and kidneys already handle detox “free of charge.”
Morning hot water is harmless, just unremarkable.
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The real fix, per ZOE’s PREDICT research, is less glamorous: feed your gut instead of flushing it. Spector recommends roughly 30 plants weekly. Skip the trends—dietary diversity beats any detox.
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