What Happens to Your Body When You Only Drink Juice

A juice cleanse (juicing) is when a person primarily consumes fruit or vegetable juices for several days. While juice cleanses are marketed for various health reasons, including supporting gut health and boosting weight loss, some research suggests they may do more harm than good.

1. Offers Nutritional Support

Juicing can increase your intake of many vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It also provides important nutrients that help protect against chronic health conditions like cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disease.

2. Bolsters Weight Management Goals

Juicing may boost weight loss, but results may be temporary unless sustained with another effective dietary strategy following the juicing period. Supporters of juicing have suggested that it might assist the body’s natural detoxing methods.

However, scientific evidence is lacking on whether tactics like juicing help remove toxins from the body.

3. May Cause Low Blood Sugar

Juicing is low in calories but removes the fiber from fruits and vegetables, leaving the sugar intact. For these reasons, a juice cleanse can increase the risk of experiencing low blood sugar levels or triggering blood sugar spikes.

This often leads to symptoms like headache, fatigue, dizziness, and weakness, which can be particularly dangerous for people with diabetes and certain other chronic health conditions.

4. May Lead To Bacterial Infections

Keep in mind that drinking fresh juices that haven’t been pasteurized or treated to kill bacteria can lead to bacterial illnesses. While this can impact anyone, people with weakened immune systems, like older adults, young children, and people with chronic health conditions, are especially susceptible to experiencing bacterial infections as a result of tainted food or drink.

5. May Trigger Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalances

Juice cleanses don’t offer any nutritional bulk (like fiber) that helps keep you full. This can lead to an imbalance in electrolytes, which are charged minerals that keep you hydrated and your body functioning properly.

In addition, it’s possible that some packaged juice products could contain “detox” ingredients, like laxatives, which prompt diarrhea that can further contribute to dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.

6. Promotes Unhealthy Eating Habits

Research shows that juice cleanses, such as juicing and other short-term fasts that strictly restrict calories and may categorize solid foods as unhealthy, can be connected with disordered eating. 

While juicing can initially lead to relatively quick weight loss, some studies have found that many regain weight after resuming their regular diet.

Rather than adhering to back-and-forth eating habits and patterns, experts recommend maintaining healthy, consistent eating behaviors to maintain optimal health.

7. Impacts Metabolism and Muscle Mass

Juice cleanses can negatively impact your metabolism and lean muscle mass because they limit the amount of calories you eat. As your muscle mass reduces due to calorie restriction, your metabolism decreases, and your body starts to burn fewer calories to preserve energy stores.

These factors combined make it more challenging to lose weight, which is the opposite effect of a juice cleanse intended to manage weight.

8. Leads to Other Health Issues

Juices prepared with vegetables like spinach and beets can be high in oxalate, a substance in foods that can increase the risk of kidney issues when consumed in large amounts.

A Word From Verywell

If you have a healthy liver, it will “detox” your body, and no special juice cleanse is needed. Extreme cleanses can lead to a lack of essential nutrients and cause harm.

Should You Try a Juice Cleanse?

For some, trying a juice cleanse could offer a short-term, refreshing boost before starting a new healthy eating plan, or it may serve as a reset after indulging in unhealthy foods.

However, juicing is generally not recommended as a long-term solution. Certain people should not try a juice cleanse unless directed by their healthcare provider, including:

• Children
• People who are pregnant or breastfeeding
• People with chronic health conditions, like diabetes or a liver, kidney, or gallbladder issue

Tips for Doing a Juice Cleanse Safely

If you are considering trying a juice cleanse, keep in mind the following tips:

• Wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly: When preparing juice for a cleanse at home, wash your hands first and then rinse fruits and vegetables under running water.
• Inspect the produce for damaged areas: Look for rotten or bruised areas on the fruits or vegetables and remove them before cutting or cooking.
• Drink within 24 to 36 hours: To avoid bacterial growth, make only what you can drink, and if you cannot drink right away, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
• Incorporate light physical activity: This allows you to maintain some health benefits of exercise without overexerting yourself during this time.
• Get plenty of sleep: Allow the body time to relax, restore, and preserve energy levels while undergoing a period of limited caloric intake.