Gwynnie’s latest nutty diet fad? Drinking chlorophyll!

IT usually crops up in biology textbooks described as the substance that makes plants green.

Now chlorophyll has made its way on to the weird and wonderful list of health hacks on Gwyneth Paltrow’s website.

In liquid form, it is touted as the latest must-have supplement – or ‘totally unnecessary fad’, as the experts put it.

Actress and lifestyle guru Paltrow, 44, has jumped on the bandwagon, with her lifestyle blog Goop extolling its virtues.

One Goop article claims that drinking a shot of the green juice can ‘oxygenate and boost nearly every major body system’.

Earlier this week, a picture of the blog’s food editor Thea Baumann drinking a ‘chlorophyll shot’ was posted on the picture sharing site Instagram.

Chlorophyll can be extracted from green plants such as rocket, spinach and alfalfa.

Proponents have not only claimed it has a high concentration of nutrients and enzymes but also that it can aid weight loss and help protect against cancer.

Yet experts have criticised health claims, saying there is no evidence to suggest it is anything other than a waste of money.

Joanna Instone, of the British Dietetic Association, said: ‘It is a fad that is not based on any scientific evidence whatsoever. Chlorophyll isn’t something we ever talk about as a nutrient.’

She added: ‘It is something you can do without. There is an awful lot of nutrition noise like this, which confuses the public.’

Rebecca McManamon, a consultant dietitian, said: ‘There are some medicines that can interact with chlorophyll, which could pose a problem.’ She added: ‘Chlorophyll can make people become a bit more sensitive to the sun.’

Paltrow starred as Pepper Potts in the 2010 Iron Man 2 movie in which Robert Downey Jr’s character swills chlorophyll. At the time Downey Jr said: ‘I Googled it and it said if you have any radioactivity overload, then chlorophyll will combat it.’