About the Maple Syrup Cleanse

The Maple Syrup Cleanse, also called the Maple Syrup Diet, the Master Cleanse, the Lemonade Diet, or the Lemon Detox Diet, has been circulating since the 1950s. Its recent surge in popularity, the result of celebrities such as Beyonce and Robin Quivers using it for quick weight loss, has triggered an influx of Internet misinformation about he largely undocumented health benefits of the Maple Syrup Cleanse.

Origins of the Maple Syrup Cleanse

In the 1950s, self-professed holistic healer Stanley Burroughs created the first incarnation of the Maple Syrup Cleanse, known as the Master Cleanse; he concocted a special "lemonade" made with maple syrup, which supposedlty cleansed the body of dangerous toxins. Burroughs had his fair share of legal woes; he was repeatedly brought before the California courts for practicing without a license and recommending false cancer cures to patients, one of which included using the Maple Syrup Cleanse. In 1984, the California Supreme Court convicted Burroughs of second-degree murder of a terminal cancer patient, Lee Swatsenbarg, who had read Burroughs' pamphlet about the Maple Syrup Cleanse and sought his assistance. After 30 days of ingesting nothing but Burroughs' concoction, the patient died.

The Maple Syrup Cleanse Perpetuated

The Maple Syrup Cleanse languished until Burroughs' booklet fell into public domain. Peter Glickman wrote "Lose Weight, Have More Energy & Be Happier in 10 Days," based on the original Burroughs text. It gained momentum when pop-singer Beyonce used the cleanse to drop 20 pounds in two weeks while preparing for her role in "Dreamgirls." Despite the results, Beyonce admitted: "After that I ate waffles, fried chicken, cheeseburgers, french fries, everything I could find. ... That was the best time of my life. I've gained twelve pounds." The pop singer has said she would not do the cleanse again.

What is the Maple Syrup Cleanse?

The original Maple Syrup Cleanse formula consisted of 2 tablespoons of lemon or lime juice, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/10 teaspoon cayenne pepper and 8 ounces of room-temperature water. However, this cleanse has beenpassed down in numerous incarnations. Internet marketers often use the Maple Syrup Cleanse to sell their own nutrients , supplements, and cleansing kits. What the maple syrup cleanse lacks in legitimacy, it clearly makes up in selling power.

Maple Syrup Cleanse Debunked

Physician Ed Zimney was one of the first medical professionals to speak out publicly against cleanse scams (see Resources). According to Zimney, the Maple Syrup Cleanse does not deliver on its promises. Zinney believed that manufacturers used maple syrup instead of other common forms of sugar to give the product exotic appeal. The lemon juice is too weak and diluted to have any effect, and the cayenne pepper acts as a bowel irritant that causes ongoing diarrhea, a side-effect akin to over-the-counter laxative abuse. To wit, the Maple Syrup Cleanse results in rapid weight loss because it is a starvation diet. However, it has no "cleansing" or "detoxification" properties.

Consumer Warnings

Quackwatch.org, a consortium of physicians dedicated to informing the public about diet and health scams, refers to the Maple Syrup Cleanse as the "Lemonade Diet" in its list of unnaturalistic methods of metaphysical health care. According to Quackwatch authors and doctors Stephen Barrett and William T. Jarvis, cleansing products appeal to consumer vanity. The U.S. Food & Drug administration has issued numerous warning letters to Internet sites advocating "cleanses." The FDA concedes that temporary weight loss is "easily achieved" on diets that limit calories and food choices. However, according to the FDA, fads such as the Maple Syrup Cleanse are "presumed guilty of incompatibility with human health until or unless proved otherwise."

To Adjust Your Diet Safely

When you choose a diet, rely on information from the experts, including licensed physicians and dietitians, health care providers and methods approved by the FDA. The Federal Trade Commission continues to shut down numerous "cleanse" sites and issue injunctions against product marketers that pose a particular danger to the consumer public. To file a complaint with the FTC against a "cleanse" site or product, visit Ftccomplaintassistant.Gov.