Shane Warne death: How juice detox diet can be deadly

More details have emerged of the diet Shane Warne was on before he suddenly died, sending shockwaves around the globe.

Health experts are warning against the dangers of extended detox diets after it was revealed cricketing great Shane Warne had consumed nothing but juices for 14 days prior to his shock death.

Nutritionist, dietitian and author Catherine Saxelby said fluid detox diets using ingredients such fruits and vegetables were similar to a semi-fast and should not be undertaken without first talking to a health professional to ensure it would be safe to do so.

“I wouldn’t have thought this was the way to lose weight – maybe he was doing it under medical supervision,” Ms Saxelby said.

Warne’s long-time manager James Erskine on Sunday revealed the spin king would “go on these ridiculous sort of diets, and he was just finished one, where he basically only ate fluids for 14 days and he’d done this three or four times.”

Ms Saxelby said such extreme diets were definitely not advisable beyond a few days, or for people with chronic health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

The fact that Warne was a heavy smoker also added to his comorbidities, she said.

“The juice cleanse does knock you around,” she said.

“Some of those that go on four, five days or a week, they do tax the body.”

Catherine Saxelby. Picture: John Appleyard

Ms Saxelby said detox diets could also be lacking in essential nutrients, as well as being low in calories.

“They talk about these diets as getting rid of toxins, but he (Warne) would probably have been on less than 1000 calories (about 4184kJ) a day,” she said.

“And for a man that is not enough.”

Juice fasts can also overload the body with natural sugars (fructose), which could place strain on the organs, she said.

“You need good nutrition to support detoxification.”

Detox fruit juice diets can be lacking in nutrition, warns Catherine Saxelby.

She said detox diets were not a quick-fix way to lose weight and regain health. Some could also be high in fructose (especially the fruit juice diets) and often low in fibre.

“It takes a long time to lose weight, it requires smaller serves, and cutting out ultra-processed food and making sure you are eating a healthy, balanced diet,” she said.

Ms Saxelby said fad diets fell into the same category as detox regimes.

“In the long run, they don’t work and will only leave you tired, irritable and prone to weight regain,” she said.

“Healthy weight loss happens when you lose weight slowly and steadily. Your goal is to lose weight while still getting your essential nutrients but from smaller portions. There is no quick fix.”

Originally published as Shane Warne death: How juice detox diet can be deadly