MONTREAL — On the eve of the new year, it is time to take stock, but also to make resolutions that we wish to put in place in the coming months.
Drink more water, do more physical activity, do a “detox” after the holidays: there are many resolutions regarding health, both on social networks and in discussions during end-of-year celebrations. .
However, are all these goals really beneficial for health? The Canadian Press spoke with an expert to sort out the fact from the fiction when it comes to popular year-end resolutions.
Carry out a “detox” after the holidays
Several videos on social media promote detoxification diets after the holiday season, where people eat more and drink more alcohol than usual.
Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and associate at the Organization for Science and Society at McGill University, explains that the idea of doing a “detox” actually comes from ancient times.
“When we talk about ancient Greece, the Roman Empire, the doctors of the age thought that disease came from something bad in the body and that we had to remove that from the body. So, they gave all kinds of medicines to try to evacuate evil spirits and all kinds of other things,” he explains in an interview.
Even if science has evolved, “this idea that we must remove something harmful from our body persists despite everything,” emphasizes Dr. Labos. It indicates that the diseases we face today require a much more complex response than that.
“It is not necessary to do a detox because the liver, the kidneys, will remove harmful products from our body. It is not necessary to do a liver detox, the liver itself will detox your body,” explains the cardiologist.
Drink more water
You may have already seen these huge water bottles marked by time in stores, claiming to contain the quantity of water that should be ingested in a day. Many people want to drink more water during the new year.
However, Dr. Labos says there is no minimum amount of water to drink that is currently prescribed.
“This idea that we must drink six to eight glasses of water per day comes from the fact that we must consume approximately six to eight liters of liquid per day to regain the fluid that we lose with sweat, with the “urine and all that,” he explains. The cardiologist points out that we lose 1.5 liters of water per day solely due to the body’s physiological products.
However, it is not necessary to drink six to eight glasses of water per day, since the liquid found in food is often enough to fill the body, says Mr. Labos.
“So the idea that we should specifically drink excess water has no scientific basis, it comes from a misunderstanding of one of the physiological effects with the fluid balance in the body.”
Consume less coffee
Dr. Labos emphasizes that there are no ill effects from drinking coffee if the beverage is not consumed in excessive quantities.
Since caffeine is a stimulant, drinking too much of it could have cardiovascular effects, mainly palpitations, he says.
“However, the majority of the population knows that at some point you have to limit caffeine,” says Dr. Labos.
“The biggest danger with coffee is sugar, and all the things we add to coffee,” such as cream or whipped cream, which make “coffee become more of a dessert than a drink », continues the cardiologist.
He emphasizes that caffeine itself in restricted quantities does not cause significant physiological effects.
Take dietary supplements and vitamins
Various influencer videos on the web promote taking food supplements or vitamins as the New Year approaches.
For Dr. Labos, it’s more about marketing.
“If something had a specific medical benefit, your doctor would give it to you. Doctors want patients to be healthy,” he says. He points out that doctors give vitamin D to patients with osteoporosis, or prescribe supplements to people with iron or folic acid deficiency, for example.
“The majority of supplements on the market have no effect on health. They have been studied and they do nothing. However, that doesn’t stop someone from selling them,” says Dr. Labos.
“If you see something on the market, if your doctor hasn’t told you to take it because you have a deficiency or a specific problem, it’s not worth it. Studies have already shown that taking vitamins and supplements just like that doesn’t do much.”
If taking these products is often safe, these supplements being eliminated without providing any benefits, their consumption can sometimes be dangerous. Dr Labos reports that some natural products have already been contaminated by other substances and that this has represented a health risk.
Adopt a gluten-free diet
If a person is not living with the disease Celiac or does not have a medical condition that requires avoiding gluten, a gluten-free diet does not necessarily provide benefits, says Dr. Labos.
“The only thing that will happen if we avoid gluten is that we will eat less pasta, less pastries, so we may lose weight if we eliminate gluten, because we will eliminate all the things that have a lot of sugar and (calories),” he explains.
Eliminating gluten therefore has no direct effect on the health of people who do not have conditions that require avoiding gluten.
Do more physical activity
For Dr. Labos, doing physical activity is a resolution that is certainly good for your health, while everyone can benefit from moving more.
“Physical activity is always important, it will help with cardiovascular health. And it’s not complicated, even 30 minutes a day of simple walking will have great cardiovascular benefits,” he explains.
