Supermodel and TV host Heidi Klum says she is trying to clean out her body of “worms, parasites and metal”, but medical experts warn the practice she’s promoting may not be necessary, and could even be risky.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Klum, 52, said she was “doing a worm cleanse and parasite cleanse” with her husband, Tom Kaulitz. She added, “Apparently, we all have parasites and worms. Everything I’m getting on my Instagram feed at the moment is about worms and parasites.”
Her comments have sparked a wave of responses from health professionals, who say there’s no proof such cleanses are needed for most people.
What experts say about parasites and cleanses
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a parasite as an organism that lives inside or on a host, taking nutrients from it and sometimes causing harm. These include parasitic worms, which may or may not cause illness.
Former Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen told CNN that parasitic worms are “a type of internal parasite that live most frequently in the gastrointestinal tract.”
Wen said parasitic worms can infect people who consume contaminated food, water, or soil. Some, like roundworms that cause ascariasis, may cause no symptoms. Others, like pinworms, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and nausea.
Gastroenterologist Dr. David Purow told the New York Post, “Not all people have parasites and worms as part of their normal microbiome.” He added, “There are no clear, proven benefits to these cleanses. It is unlikely that we will ever see someone fund a study to see if these natural herbs and byproducts can be proven to be effective.”
Possible risks and the truth about metals in the body
Infectious disease expert Choukri Ben Mamoun, PhD, told MedPage Today, “Hearing that someone is advocating a ‘worm and parasite cleanse’ is alarming because it is a medically unfounded practice that could potentially be harmful.” He also said there is “no credible medical evidence that the average person harbors hidden parasites that require cleansing.”
Experts also note that some herbal cleanses, like the one Klum described, can have side effects. Plant-based treatments containing cloves or papaya seeds have shown limited success against certain worms in small studies, but they have not been proven in large, controlled trials. According to specialists, these regimens can cause dehydration, nausea, and a loss of nutrients or electrolytes.
Klum also mentioned wanting to remove metals from her body. Experts point out that our bodies naturally contain essential metals like iron, magnesium, copper, and potassium. These help regulate many body functions. While overexposure to toxic metals like lead or mercury can cause harm, removing all metals is not healthy. As Johns Hopkins parasitology professor Isabelle Coppens told USA Today, “There is no magic potion.”
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Klum, 52, said she was “doing a worm cleanse and parasite cleanse” with her husband, Tom Kaulitz. She added, “Apparently, we all have parasites and worms. Everything I’m getting on my Instagram feed at the moment is about worms and parasites.”
Her comments have sparked a wave of responses from health professionals, who say there’s no proof such cleanses are needed for most people.
What experts say about parasites and cleanses
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a parasite as an organism that lives inside or on a host, taking nutrients from it and sometimes causing harm. These include parasitic worms, which may or may not cause illness.
Former Baltimore health commissioner Dr. Leana Wen told CNN that parasitic worms are “a type of internal parasite that live most frequently in the gastrointestinal tract.”
Wen said parasitic worms can infect people who consume contaminated food, water, or soil. Some, like roundworms that cause ascariasis, may cause no symptoms. Others, like pinworms, can cause diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain, and nausea.
Gastroenterologist Dr. David Purow told the New York Post, “Not all people have parasites and worms as part of their normal microbiome.” He added, “There are no clear, proven benefits to these cleanses. It is unlikely that we will ever see someone fund a study to see if these natural herbs and byproducts can be proven to be effective.”
Possible risks and the truth about metals in the body
Infectious disease expert Choukri Ben Mamoun, PhD, told MedPage Today, “Hearing that someone is advocating a ‘worm and parasite cleanse’ is alarming because it is a medically unfounded practice that could potentially be harmful.” He also said there is “no credible medical evidence that the average person harbors hidden parasites that require cleansing.”
Experts also note that some herbal cleanses, like the one Klum described, can have side effects. Plant-based treatments containing cloves or papaya seeds have shown limited success against certain worms in small studies, but they have not been proven in large, controlled trials. According to specialists, these regimens can cause dehydration, nausea, and a loss of nutrients or electrolytes.
Klum also mentioned wanting to remove metals from her body. Experts point out that our bodies naturally contain essential metals like iron, magnesium, copper, and potassium. These help regulate many body functions. While overexposure to toxic metals like lead or mercury can cause harm, removing all metals is not healthy. As Johns Hopkins parasitology professor Isabelle Coppens told USA Today, “There is no magic potion.”
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