Celebrities are doing cleanses that include a 'sex fast,' but a therapist says that's more likely to cause self-hatred than satisfaction

• Kourtney Kardashian and Aaron Rodgers both shared that they're doing cleanses that involve sex fasts.
• There's no evidence that swearing off sex will make your return to sex better, an expert said.

This week, two celebrities — NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and reality star Kourtney Kardashian — made headlines for their similar Ayurvedic detox diets, which both involve forgoing sex for an extended period of time.

During an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said he did a 12-day Panchakarma, or a period of reflection meant for cleansing the mind and body. His cleanse involved butter, laxatives, and abstaining from sugar, sex, and alcohol, Insider previously reported.

According to Rodgers, the detox increased feelings of gratitude and decreased stress.

In an interview with Bustle, Kardashian also said she found benefits after an Ayurvedic, or traditional Indian medicine, cleanse, which included no sex or orgasms.

"Oh my God, it was crazy. But it actually made everything better. Like, if you can't have caffeine, when you have your first matcha, it's so good," Kardashian, who previously spoke about doing Panchakarma, told Bustle.

There's no evidence that giving up sex provides health benefits, sex therapist David J. Ley told Insider. Depriving yourself can lead to increased feelings of shame and loneliness, and a poorer relationship with your sexuality, he said.

Sex fasts are more likely to cause self-hatred than satisfaction, Ley said

The concept of a sex fast usually sets people up for failure because it assumes everyone has the same relationship with sex, according to Ley.

If a person with a higher sex drive prefers having sex almost daily, attempting a sex fast for its purported benefits will likely lead to a slip up, which could send that person into a shame spiral, Ley said.

Myths about the benefits of abstaining from sex and orgasms, like increased testosterone or more mental and spiritual strength, run "on the assumption that for some reason, sexuality is inherently tempting and seducing us away from the things in life we should be focusing on," Ley told Insider.

Research shows that engaging in sex and having orgasms can boost mental health and self-confidence and decrease loneliness.

There are a couple of exceptions where a sex fast could help

If a person has a compulsive relationship with sex due to underlying mental health issues, like a manic episode, forgoing sex until you work on impulse control could help, Ley said. Ley also works with couples who have trouble with intimacy. In those cases, he sometimes asks a couple to table sex so they can focus on other types of connection, like kissing and cuddling.

It's possible a sex detox could make your next orgasm more satisfying, but that shouldn't be the reason you give up sexual intimacy, Ley said.

"For many people, being sexual is one of the ways we experience closeness and acceptance with another person. So if we're choosing to be abstinent, are we starving ourselves of affection and connection with other people?" he said.

There aren't science-backed nutrition benefits for the cleanse

There are also no evidence-based nutrition benefits for this type of cleanse, registered dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix previously told Insider's Gabby Landsverk.

She said people should make small and consistent changes to their diets instead of a full-on detox.

"Cleanses are short term practices that bring unrealistic results. The focus is to lubricate your system and push foods out, when you should be focusing on what you're putting into your body," Taub-Dix said.