Foot Detox: Real Deal Or Myth? What The Research Says About This Trend

In the world of well-being, there's nothing more appealing than a healthy detox to keep your body running in peak form. But rest assured: Your body actually has its own detoxification systems; many, however, look for ways to give these pathways added support. 

Let's start by going through what exactly a foot detox is. Foot detoxes claim to remove toxins, impurities, cellular waste, and heavy metals from the body through the feet. These are offered in both spas and through at-home tools. 

The most popular of these is the ionic foot detox, which is a physical bath that you buy to soak your feet in. The machine sends out a low-voltage electric current to charge the atoms in water molecules that are meant to attract and neutralize negatively charged toxins. Some of these even advertise that if the water changes color it means that the detoxification is working. 

There are also detoxifying adhesive pads that you stick to the bottom of your feet that claim to draw out the metals and toxins while you sleep. Many point to the fact that the pads change colors by morning as evidence of the toxins exiting the body. 

The short answer is no, foot detoxes do not work. A 2012 study collected water samples from a 30-minute ionic foot bath session and urine samples and found that there did not appear to be any evidence that toxic elements were released through the feet1. Any reported changes after a foot bath are purely anecdotal.

Additionally, any detoxification in the body happens via its natural pathways (primarily through the detoxification organs, of which there are many, but the main ones are the liver and kidneys) and does not happen through the feet. "'Detox' simply means metabolizing key compounds to remove them from the body. This process happens automatically and consistently at the cellular level. Daily bowel movements, sweat secretions, and urination are indicators that we are removing toxic substances," explains Deanna Minich, Ph.D., CNS, FACN, IFMCP, functional-medicine-trained clinician and author of Whole Detox, about the body's detoxification process.

If you want to support your body's natural detoxification process, you should look to adding certain nutrients to your diet such as antioxidant-rich veggies and fermented foods. And well-rounded lifestyle habits can help support your body, such as moving your body regularly and getting sleep.

If you really want to bind, neutralize, and clear out toxins, there are all kinds of habits you can do to help support your body's natural detoxification process daily—from adding target nutrients to your diet and supplement ritual to simply working up a sweat.* But at the end of the day, it's your amazing detoxifying organs, the kidneys and liver (and lungs, gut, lymphatic system, skin, etc.), doing all the real work.