In this second post about detoxification, we get into some the physiological aspects of detoxification in the body and how it all actually is intended to work.  If you are game for a bit of science, read on!

Total Body Burden

The concept of total body burden covered in my prior post, here, illustrates the burden of toxins on the body. It essentially reflects a loose calculation that equals total toxin exposures minus the body’s ability to detoxify, or remove, the toxic quality of the substance.  Toxins can consist of chemical, biological and physical characteristics and the effect on the body can depend on your biochemical individuality - meaning, it’s very personalized.  The most common toxic compounds are medications, heavy metals, pesticides, PCBs, plastics, exhaust (i.e., leading to air pollution) and solvents.  Also referred to as total body load, total load or burden is impacted by age at exposure (younger exposure can confer a higher burden), overall age, body mass index, nutritional status, genetics and stress level. These factors will affect the ability of the body to effectively metabolize and eliminate toxic substances.  

Phases of the Body’s Detoxification Process

The biological process for detoxification consists of three distinct physiological phases, detoxification, biotransformation and elimination, each of which requires different nutrients, amino acids and enzymes in order to function properly.  In Phase 1, aptly referred to as detoxification, the toxic compounds undergo a reaction with certain critical enzymes and compounds in your body to convert the toxic compounds into other compounds, also called intermediate metabolites.  These can be either more or less potent than the original compound to get ready for the next stage of processing so it is important that the process runs optimally from beginning to end.  In Phase I, antioxidants and many vitamins and minerals are needed to engage in this part of the detoxification pathway.  If they are not available, the process can back up and not advance to Phase 2, called biotransformation, which could leave you with greater toxicity than you started with. 

In Phase 2, the intermediate metabolites combine with more enzymes (i.e., biotransform) in the body and usually become less toxic, more water soluble and able to be eliminated.  This step in the process is highly dependent on amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein, and also it requires ATP, which is energy.  This means if your body’s ability to produce energy, or ATP is impaired for any reason (such as stress, illness, lack of sleep or malnourishment), the detoxification process may also be impaired at this phase. 

The last phase, Phase 3, is the excretion or elimination of the biotransformed compounds from Phase 2 which will depend on whether the toxin is fat soluble (like heavy metals), and eliminated through excretion or if the toxin is water soluble (like pesticides) and are eliminated through urination. 

In my next post, I will finally get to the fun stuff!  I will discuss nutritional approaches to facilitate the detoxification process.  In other words, what we can eat to keep these three phases running optimally.  If I can help guide you to help you in this area, please reach out!