"Detox" is slapped on the labels of a slew of wellness products, but usually the term is nothing more than marketing speak. Most juice "cleanses" or "flat tummy teas" will not help you "detox" your body. The daily wellness shot Dose for Your Liver, however, purports to support your body's natural detox system.
Quick refresher: The liver's function is to filter harmful substances from your bloodstream. Dose is made with ingredients that are meant to support your liver function, thereby helping your energy levels and digestion.
Can Dose really do what it claims? I spoke to a registered dietitian about the formula and tried it myself for two weeks to see if it impacted how I felt—and, of course, to see if the taste is appetizing enough to sip every day.
An expert's take on the ingredients in Dose
Dose's hero ingredient is curcumin (the main active compound in turmeric), which research shows may support liver function by reducing ALT, one of the enzymes that's used as a marker for liver health, says registered dietitian Jessica Brantley-Lopez.
Milk thistle, ginger, and dandelion round out the recipe. Milk thistle has been used by herbalists to treat liver disease since ancient times, but today there's not enough clinical research to prove its efficacy in this realm. However, the studies that do exist are encouraging: "There's evidence that milk thistle protects liver health through several possible mechanisms," such as acting as an antioxidant and lowering inflammation in the body, Brantley-Lopez says.
Ginger, meanwhile, has shown promise in reducing certain liver enzymes and inflammatory markers in the body. "Liver enzymes are proteins responsible for the proper digestion of food, a healthy metabolism, and removal of toxins from the bloodstream," Brantley-Lopez says, adding that higher liver enzyme numbers point to inflammation and liver damage. Preclinical studies suggest dandelion also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to the table, though more research is needed, Brantley-Lopez says.
Dose commissioned its own small study of 30 people with liver disease to explore the supplement's impact on people who take it regularly. Participants saw a significant decrease in the levels of the two main liver enzymes that are used to gauge liver health (ALT and AST) after eight weeks. While Dose's study seems to indicate that the tonic is able to benefit your health, more research needs to be done by independent scientists before drawing conclusions about the product's efficacy, Brantley-Lopez says.
My experience with Dose
You can buy Dose for Your Liver as a 24-pack of two-ounce, single-serve shots or in 16-ounce bottles. Opt for the bottles, and the brand sends you a stainless steel shot glass to portion your, well, dose.
Dose is a bright orange color and the consistency is thicker than water or juice, more like skim milk. The flavor is all citrus up front, almost like orange peel, with a subtle pineapple note underneath. There's ginger powder in the ingredient list, but you don't taste it at all. After my second shot, I noticed an artificial sweetener aftertaste, which I attribute to the recipe's erythritol and monk fruit extract.
The instructions recommend taking Dose after eating; this worked well for me because its sweetness scratched that dessert itch that hits after meals. I ended up pouring myself a shot twice a day, after breakfast and dinner. I didn't notice any dramatic shifts in my energy or digestion, but I also didn't expect to. (That's not really how supplements work.)
What to know before trying Dose
There's no harm in trying Dose, unless you take a medication that could interact with it, so you should speak with your doctor before adding it (or any supplement) to your routine. The ingredients in Dose can interfere with meds for blood pressure, diabetic, autoimmune, blood thinner, and chemotherapy medications, Brantley-Lopez says.
If you get the green light from your doc, Brantley-Lopez says Dose could be a great way to increase your antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response. "I’ve used Dose a handful of times when I felt run-down or like a bug was circling, and I feel like it may have prevented me from getting sick," Brantley-Lopez shares. (While Brantley-Lopez has had a good experience with the drink, keep in mind that there's no clinical research to back up the idea that Dose supports your immune response.)
However, Dose shouldn't be used as a substitute for making healthy choices. "The best recommendation for improving liver health is to improve your lifestyle choices, such as decreasing or eliminating alcohol consumption, incorporating physical activity and movement on a daily basis, and eating a balanced diet focusing on lean animal proteins, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats," Brantley-Lopez says.
The bottom line: Dose works best as a supplement to an already healthy lifestyle, not as a replacement for one.
