Nutritionists have issued a warning about the fad for detox breaks, it has been reported.

An increase in fasting, dieting or detoxing holidays has brought practises under scrutiny.

Unconventional practices in unpractised environments could be dangerous, Lifestyle News said.

This is opposed to controlled diets for religious reasons at Ramadan, Lent or Yom Kippur.

While noting the philosophical benefits of fasting in religion, nutritionist Jean-Claude Melchior said it was "ethically scandalous" for people to take money for diet holidays.

He criticised breaks that offered specialist diets of water or liquid food which may have nutritional intakes way short of the recommended amounts each day.

Strict diets could be administered without proper knowledge or medical training, Mr Melchoir added.

Spa owner Adrien Reygade suggested an alternative holiday – thalassotherapy may be a better choice for "a health makeover" or "break in routine".

Thalassotherapy is the provision of wraps, hydro-massage and scrubs to benefit health.