The claimWhat Shailene actually said
In a 2014 Into The Gloss interview about her beauty routine, Woodley described studying herbalism and making her own products, and said she had learned about eating clay from a taxi driver who told her women in his home country eat it during pregnancy. She said clay carries a negative charge that binds to metals and helps clear them from the body, and recommended sourcing it carefully. She returned to the subject on late-night television the same year.
- intothegloss.com: Shailene Woodley in their own words
- Klein AV, Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 2015: critical review finding no compelling clinical evidence that detox diets eliminate toxins.
- Al-Rmalli SW, Environmental Health, 2010: mass spectrometry of baked geophagic clay found arsenic and other toxic trace elements presenting exposure risk.
- Orisakwe OE, Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 2020: cadmium and lead measured in geophagic clay consumed in southern Nigeria indicated health risk to consumers.
Why it mattersWhy this matters for longevity
The detox framing is unusually persuasive because it borrows real chemistry, then skips the step where anyone measured whether it works in a person.
Clay ingestion competes for absorption with iron and zinc, and pica is associated with poorer micronutrient status, so the intervention can plausibly make a nutritional problem worse.
Product-level contamination is not hypothetical: regulators have issued warnings about elevated lead in specific edible bentonite clay products.
The evidenceWhat the science says
Klein and Kiat's 2015 critical review in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found no rigorous clinical evidence that commercial detox regimens eliminate toxins from the body. On the contamination side, Al-Rmalli and colleagues used mass spectrometry on baked geophagic clay and reported arsenic and other toxic elements at levels of concern, and Orisakwe's 2020 analysis of geophagic clay sold in southern Nigeria found cadmium and lead posing a health risk to consumers. The kidneys and liver already perform metal clearance, and no trial shows clay adds to that.
The honest caveat is that the negative case is also partly indirect. Nobody has run a randomized trial giving people edible clay and measuring blood or urine metals over time, so the fair statement is that the claim is unsupported and carries a documented contamination risk, not that clay has been tested and proven useless. Clay minerals are used medically as adsorbents in specific poisoning situations under supervision, which is a different thing from daily consumption. Anyone who suspects genuine heavy metal exposure needs testing, not a food.
TakeawayThe honest takeaway
The practical lesson
If heavy metal exposure is a real concern, ask a clinician for a blood or urine test rather than eating a product that has itself tested positive for metals.
RelatedRelated habits
Each of these is a habit you can build on its own. Explore them through the Topics index.
SupplementsThe supplement angle: Iron and zinc
Support a habit, do not replace one
Clay ingestion is associated with poorer micronutrient status, and iron and zinc are the two most often affected. Testing before supplementing matters here, because iron in particular is harmful in excess.
Supplements can support good habits. They do not replace sleep, movement, nutrition, or medical care. Talk with your healthcare provider before starting anything new.
This is educational commentary, not medical advice, and does not imply that Shailene Woodley endorses, is affiliated with, or uses Winning Longevity or any product. We critique the claim and the evidence, not the person. Any direct quote is a placeholder until sourced. Talk with a qualified healthcare provider before changing your routine. See our health disclaimer.
