What is Detoxification?

What does it actually mean to detox the body?  I can tell you it likely is not related to much of the information available on the internet generally related to cleanse diets and purportedly detoxifying foods and other trends and gimmicks.  What it actually means, physiologically, relates to the hard and necessary work of the liver to eliminate toxicants that have inevitably made their way into the body.  The liver is a powerhouse of an organ, the proper functioning of which is critical for all aspects of health.  The concept that is related to detoxification to be aware of is called the total body burden.  

Total Body Burden

Total body burden can be thought of as a rough calculation equaling total toxin exposures to the body minus the body’s ability to detoxify from those exposures. If your body has a strong ability to detoxify itself, then the effects of toxin exposure could be minimized, and vice versa.  Detoxification by the body includes many steps that include various actions to change the character of the substance to break it into new components.  These actions are followed by what is referred to as biotransformation of the new components to then make them available for elimination.  If any of these steps are not performed correctly, detoxification can either not happen or it could make the substance even more toxic. The total body burden is highly individualized and is subject to various aspects of health status.  Exposure to toxins in daily life is unavoidable. They are everywhere and in nearly everything.  However, it is not a lost cause.  There are efforts we can take to minimize exposures and the ideal approach is to keep your liver functioning well so it can handle the exposures when they come.  How we can do this will be the subject of my next post, but for today, let’s go over where these exposures are coming from so that you can make informed decisions and use your knowledge to your advantage.

Common Toxin Exposures 

Toxin exposures exist in many aspects of life, including air, water and food.  Food may be one area that can be subject to some mitigation efforts. Three foods that contain high concentrations of xenobiotic toxicants like pesticides and persistent organic pollutants are farmed fish, the dirty dozen vegetables, as published by the Environmental Working Group, and plastics that contaminate processed and packaged foods.  Farmed fish contain high levels of heavy metals like mercury and lead and PCBs, which are forms of pesticides that run off into rivers and oceans.  Heavy metals have significant health impacts because they are persistent, fat soluble, and bioaccumulate over time, with a long half-life, meaning it takes a long time to be eliminated from the body. They require substantial detoxification and biotransformation to clear from the body. Heavy metals can cause motor issues and cognitive impairment and are associated with conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and cause hormonal dysfunction by blocking synthesis and receptors.  The most important preventive measure is to not eat farmed fish at all.  Instead, consume wild-caught, smaller fish because even if fish are wild, larger fish like tuna and swordfish contain large amounts of heavy metals as they also bioaccumulate based on the size of the fish.  Also, look for specific regions where wild fish are caught, like Alaskan salmon.  Pesticide exposure can be limited, but not eliminated entirely, by consuming organic fruits and vegetables and wild-caught fish. Being mindful of how foods are packaged and avoiding plastic and cans when possible can also limit exposures.  Avoiding processed foods and instead consuming a whole-food diet can also help mitigate exposure risk. 

If I can help guide you towards reducing your toxin exposures in food, please reach out!