Detoxification: Should you support your liver & kidneys?

Dawn (00:00):

Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, Registered Dietitian, and this week’s topic is detoxification, should you support your liver and kidneys? And I always struggle to talk about detoxification because in conventional healthcare it is so looked down upon and looked through the lens as quack science. And although there are some truths to that, there are some very science evidence-based facts that supporting detoxification for some people is super impactful. So again, I try to present you with evidence-based solutions that you can kind of gauge your health and help navigate through the complexities of your seasons of life. Because as we all realize lies, our bodies don’t maintain in our twenties the same as you are when you’re in your fifties and beyond. So again, as you’re navigating through these seasons of life, understanding just the things you can do to support yourself better is super important for me to deliver to you.

How it truly can influence someone’s ability to properly detoxify

(01:38):

So I won’t say that I love to do controversial topics, but I kind of like to present topics that are maybe look at the lens of conventional healthcare as not their standard and allow you to see a different side so you can make decisions. Again, I would say a lot of this really changed for me personally when I did a lot of functional medicine training. But then it really became very clear to me when I started digging into the genetics. So when I started understanding the genetic connections and how it truly can influence someone’s ability to properly detoxify, that really just sealed the deal that I think a lot of people in just conventional healthcare, they don’t look through that lens. And that’s what I want to show you is that hey, not everyone, but some of you may have some genetic SNPs that are impairing your body’s ability to properly detoxify, which is impacting your hormones, it’s impacting your gut health, it’s impacting many aspects of your life that could be the stair steps to your current health conditions, or maybe it’s just part of the package that has occurred.

What is detoxification?

(03:27):

So let’s kind of dig into detoxification and kind of just giving you that foundation of should you support your kidney and your kidneys and liver, that is what we want to understand. So we kind of know that detoxification or the word detoxification is really just a buzzword fad type of utilization that gets thrown around really in some instances, like in a negative light. And then you flip the coin and it’s life changing. So what do you believe, right? What are you supposed to do with this information and should you act, do anything like they’re recommending? So again, I’m taking you through this journey through the lens of nutrition, health and genetics. That’s the lens we’re looking through. But I want you to know there is a scientific basis for supporting your body’s natural detoxification process. So what is detoxification? So detoxification, or we’ll say detox for short, is a physiological process that helps your body get rid of the toxins and the harmful substances so that you can maintain a healthy balance. Your body naturally produces these toxic substances called endogenous. These are endogenous substances that your body will produce as a byproduct of the breakdown of various different properties and not just physical toxins that you’re exposed to, not that breakdown. This is literally your body chemical reactions. The biological processes naturally produces toxins. So it’s a normal thing that occurs. And then of course you have the external substances, the exogenous, the ones that we breathe, we ingest, we absorb from all of our surroundings. So that’s

The Liver and Kidneys: Natural Detoxification Pathways

(05:56):

From food, the air pollutants, chemicals, all of this contributes to those exogenous toxins that our body has to deal with. So now there are several organs that are involved in detoxification, but really the liver and the kidneys are the most important, and especially the liver is the most important organ for detoxification in the body. The liver and the kidneys, natural detoxification pathways, processing and transforming toxic substances into less harmful forms makes them easier for your body to eliminate. So it’s a complex system, but it’s a necessary thing that has to occur so that your body can function appropriately. So number one, liver detoxification. Liver detoxification, but also known as a hepatic detoxification occurs when the liver neutralizes and eliminates drugs, toxins, metabolic byproducts from the body. This process occurs in phase one, two, and three. So there are these three phases that each phase plays a specific role in transforming and eliminating all of these substances, making them less harmful.

Liver Detoxification

(07:25):

So again, your body naturally knows to do this. So phase one is the bioactivation phase. In phase one detoxification, the liver uses enzymes primarily from the cytochrome P450 family and to initiate this breakdown of toxic compounds and these enzymes modify the chemical structure of the substances making them more water soluble in preparation for going into phase two detoxification. So again, it’s one of those things that these enzymes, and I’ve talked about the cytochrome P450, a family genetic SNPs before, but again, these are involved in that phase one, making those compounds more water soluble so that your liver can take those substances so that we can eventually get it out of your system. And then in phase one, the bioactivation phase can sometimes result in the creation of intermediate metabolites that are more reactive and potentially more toxic than the original compounds.

Phase I: Bioactivation 

(08:43):

So again, this process or this phase of detoxification is when your body’s taking all of these endogenous and exogenous toxic compounds and some because of these enzymes are making them more toxic in some instances. So when you have genetic SNPs that alter your ability to break these down, or more importantly if you have genetic SNPs that impact the timing and the ability to move into phase two, detoxification quickly truly can influence someone’s ability to detoxify or support that detoxification appropriately because you want the breakdown in phase one to go slow, but you want the phase two to go quickly. Because again, think about it this way, if you have even more toxic compounds that are hanging out, waiting to move through to the next step, if you have some genetic SNPs, one that could be deleted. So this means that genetically you are missing this gene.

Phase II: Conjugation

(10:21):

So there are some genes that if you’re missing this genetic snp, then you won’t have the ability to quickly capture these toxins to move them through phase two. It gets things hung up, and then that’s when negative things can occur. So here, phase one creates these toxic or sometimes more toxic than the original compounds, and then phase two promptly neutralizes these compounds so that you don’t have any bad reactions. But again, like I’m saying, when you have genetic SNPs that are maybe deleted or slow to respond, that’s when it can truly influence the way your body functions. So phase two is conjugation. So phase two detoxification is the liver further processing these metabolites created by the phase one detoxification, by attaching them to other molecules, making them highly water soluble and less toxic. And this process is known as conjugation. And there are several types of phase two reactions, each involving specific enzymes and molecules to facilitate the conjugation.

MTHFR genetic mutation

(11:55):

And some of these common conjugation reactions include glucuronidation, sulfation, methylation, and glutathione conjugation. And as a result, these reactions, the molecules become water soluble, making them more easily excreted and less likely to be harmful to your cells and tissues. So phase two is when things can get a little messy when maybe you have some genetic SNPs that impact your methylation. And we’ve talked about methylation a lot. It’s very common. More than 40 or 50% of the population have the MTHFR genetic mutation, and that’s a big deal if you can’t move those through that detox pathway quickly enough to make them less harmful. And then we talk about phase three as kind of the transport. So phase three detoxification, conjugated and water soluble metabolites are produced in phase two out of the liver cells and into bile or blood circulation for eventual elimination from the body.

Phase III: Transport

(13:22):

So again, you you’re moving into the excretion phase where it’s transporting them to be excreted through these different properties through the bile or the blood or poop. You’re getting this out in some way and transporters in the liver cell membranes facilitate this movement. And these transporters help move the detoxified molecules from inside the liver cells to the bile ducts where they can eventually be excreted through the feces. Some detoxified molecules can also enter the bloodstream and be filtered by the kidneys for excretion through the urine. So again, you have to think about all of our outlets of toxin removal and you think of pee poop, sweat and your breath, those four ways or four exits of all of the detoxified substances are going out through. So think of it in a nutshell. Phase one, we’re breaking all of these things down into compounds so that phase two can neutralize them, turn ’em into a water-soluble product that can then be transported through our feces, our urine, our sweat, our breath out of our body.

The Kidneys’ Role in Detoxification

(14:56):

So that’s kind of in a nutshell what our liver is doing. So now let’s talk about number two, the kidneys role in detoxification and your kidneys function as a filtration system for the body, removing waste products and excess substances from the blood by eliminating metabolic waste products such as urea and creatinine. They help maintain electrolyte balance, regulate your blood pressure, and maintain your electrolyte balance. So I spent a few years as a more specifically two, I spent two years as a renal dietician at a dialysis center, and this was early, I think I had been at the bariatric center for three years already. Then we moved, I became a renal dietician, but I continued doing bariatric support groups in the area that we moved to because it was still within our state. So our program director was, wanted me to help because we had a support group up in the area that I moved to.

Factors and Strategies Affecting Detoxification

(16:09):

So I continued that. And I will say the things I learned in being a dialysis dietitian at a dialysis center really helped me with the blood work and the labs. You really dive into lab data and you spend most of the month reporting on people’s blood work. And I think that really got me into really understanding more of lab data and vitamins and minerals. That’s really where a lot of that started for me. But I want you to think about you fast forward to now and thinking about electrolyte balances and maintaining those properties so that you have healthy functioning kidneys. We’re going to talk about genetics and detoxification. So there are genetic factors that can affect how a person’s body will actually detoxify and as a result of certain genetic variations known as a single nucleotide polymorphism or A SNP…SNP.. SNPS linked to detoxification pathways and individual’s detoxification capacity may vary depending on their specific genotype.

Genetics and Detoxification

(17:40):

So again, and I’ve talked about this when it comes to genes before, it has to have impact. So just because you have this genetic SNP does not, that doesn’t tell me enough information. Does it have impact? Because some genes have a beneficial role. So I can have somebody that, yes, they might have this genetic snp, but guess what? It benefits them or there’s no impact. It has no relevance in their genetic makeup. So again, I think it’s you need more information. And that’s why I would say I really like the 3×4 genetic test because it really puts it into those pathways that help me look at the combinations to see, oh, well, okay, if I don’t address this for this person, then in the future we are going to have some issues with build up of estrogens or maybe we’re going to have kidney issues or we’re going to have blood sugar and insulin balance problems because of these genetic factors if we don’t support you at a diet and lifestyle level.

Specific SNPs and Their Implications

(19:00):

Now, I have talked about genetic detoxification before in a small stance in the post titled, the Lock and key to weight loss resistance, and I did talk about that after weight loss surgery and some other factors including detoxification. So let’s get into some of the genetic SNPs and their implications. So several studies have shown that key detoxification genes possess common SNPs that may affect their function, and genes that have notable implications include the compt or the caco methyl transferase, compt, COMT in acetyl transferase two or NAT2, cytochrome P450 or CYP and the GSTs or the glutathione S transferases. And then the fifth one is MTHFR or methytetrahydrofolate reductase and the NRF2 or the nuclear factor erythroid two, elevated factor two a lot. That’s a mouthful. So these are all the genetic SNPs can impact your detoxification.

COMT (Catechol-O-methyltransferase)

(20:21):

And I’ve talked about compt a lot. So we’ll kind of go back to number one, compt cacho, methyltransferase and the catecholamines, which are neurotransmitters known as dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, are all broken down by this gene. And comped mutations have been linked to differences in how certain neurotransmitters are metabolized, which could impact conditions such as bipolar disorder, anxiety, and other mental health conditions. So again, it kind of sets a pace or a timing issue. And if this COMT is slow in processing, then you could get a buildup of dopamine. High amounts of dopamine is bad because that’s when you have those mental health disorders like bipolar, even schizophrenia and some other mental health problems that make this not well managed. And so without proper approaches in knowing how to help support this comp so that it continues to function and not get hung up and slowed down, understanding that is one piece of it.

N-Acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2)

(21:54):

And I think if a lot of people think, oh, neurotransmitters, we want more of those. And in reality, you want a neutral, you don’t want too little and you don’t want too much. You need kind of in the middle, you need it to be neutral. I don’t know if balanced is really the right word to use, but you need it neutral so that it’s not excessive and it’s not depleted. So again, it impacts your mood. It can impact even hormone regulation. It has a variety of properties. The NAT2 is an enzyme that helps detoxify certain drugs and environmental pollutants. And the two main variants of the NAT2 gene rapid and slow acetylators, and those who are rapid acetylators are better able to detoxify these substances than those who are slow. So the NAT2 metabolizes of the drugs, including anti-convulsants cancer drugs, pain relievers, in order to remove the harmful substances from the body more easily, it lessens the harmful effects.

Cytochrome P450 (CYP)

(23:10):

So again, if you have a genetic snip in this and it’s not neutralizing and making them less harmful at an appropriate pace or appropriately in general, you don’t have a good flow with this, then again, you’ll likely have issues with managing these drugs because it’s going to impact you negatively. The next or the number three is CYP P or the cytochrome P450. And this group of gene encodes enzymes that are involved in the phase one detoxification, like we said in the liver, and it can affect functions of these enzymes in people who are genetically predisposed to carry them. As a result, certain substances may have a reduced or increased metabolic activity, and CYP enzymes oxidize harmful substances making them less toxic and easier to excrete. So these enzymes are involved in metabolizing a wide variety of drugs, pollutants and carcinogens. Variations in CYP genes can alter the activity of the CYP enzymes, which can affect drug response and disease risk.

GSTs (Glutathione S-transferases)

(24:38):

Again, if you think about that, if it’s involved in really neutralizing these really harmful toxins and it’s not working efficiently, then you can see how disease risk goes up. Number four is the glutathione S transferases or the GSTs. It has been found that the GSTs play an important role in phase two detoxification in which toxins are conjugated with glutathione for excretion. So glutathione is kind of your master antioxidant, and if you don’t produce this, which there’s some gstm one deletions that can occur where you don’t, your body doesn’t manufacture this antioxidant, and it can really set you up for a lot of disease risks and problems with your health. There are several different GST genes and some people carry genetic deletion. So the GSTM1 is where you could have one or both copies of these genes or complete deletion. Any of these can occur, and again, it would have to be in a position where it is impactful.

MTHFR (Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase)

(26:06):

But GSTs metabolize various harmful substances including drugs, pollutants, carcinogens, and can affect the activities. So having a genetic variation or a genetic snip that has an impact allele that can affect the activity of this genetic variation can affect the body’s ability to detoxify these substances. And again, it definitely increases the person’s susceptibility to cancers and just the damage from environmental toxins because they don’t have that glutathione or that antioxidant that can really help protect them. Number five, it’s MTHFR or the methyl tetra hydro folate reductase. And research indicates that this gene contributes to the metabolism of folate and the regulation of homocysteine levels. And in addition to the effects of the body’s ability to eliminate toxins, MTHFR mutations may also affect your overall health. There’s a whole lot of information out there on MTHFR, and I think as this has continued to evolve, less priority has been just on this.

Nrf2 (Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2)

(27:22):

So there are some books written of this being kind of like the master methylation issue, and what they found is it’s not always just that simple. So there’s more to the story. You can’t just look at MTHFR, you have to look at other genes as well to really understand what’s happening with methylation. The next is the NRF2, and this transcription factor regulates the expression of detoxification genes and SNPs in this NRF2 gene can affect the activity of nerve two, which can in turn affect the body’s ability to detoxify. Has reported that SNPs in the nerve two gene can affect the activity. And several studies suggest that diet plays a significant role in detoxification. According to the authors of a study. Certain foods including cruciferous vegetables, berries, garlic and turmeric may enhance detoxification by activating NRF2 and other detoxification genes.

Sulforaphane itself is a NRF2 up regulator

(28:29):

And I think I’m going to include here too, Sulforaphane itself is a NRF2 up regulator. So it will really start supporting your body with activating this NRF2 And NRF2 goes big and wide. It does a lot even outside of just detoxification, and it can just really support a healthy body. So think of your cruciferous vegetables. And so fore is the sprouts of broccoli. Sounds crazy, right? I mean, how can broccoli sprouts, like the beginning growth of broccoli have so much impact? But se fore really does upregulate this NRF2 gene and can really support inflammation, glucose, and insulin regulation. Oh my gosh, so many factors actually. Now I think I have this saved on my desktop. I use it with patients so often, but so fore, oh, I don’t have it here. But regardless, I want you to know that this is definitely something that sehan, so broccoli sprouts, not broccoli in general, you’re not going to get the same compound from eating just broccoli that you would from the broccoli sprouts.

Supporting Detoxification with Nutrition

(30:25):

So again, I think it’s really focusing to the right types of foods, but understanding the ones that really can support you the best. And that’s where when it comes to sulforaphane, that really can upregulate all of these. It can upregulate, methylation, and even the CYP, the cytochrome P450 family, it can really help support that. And even the comp, it can help speed that up. So to me, it’s a great sulforaphane is just pretty impactful when I have someone’s genetics and I can utilize this to really help support them at the detoxification level. So supporting detoxification with nutrition, what does this look like? Studies have shown that individuals with genetic variations that affect detoxification pathways need to support their body’s natural detoxification processes. So diets rich in whole real foods may be beneficial. And plant-based foods contain a range of phytonutrients that may stimulate the production of detoxification enzymes and act as antioxidants to neutralize the potentially harmful effects of the free radicals.

The Impact of Whole Real Foods on Detoxification

(31:48):

So again, yes, this is a ploy to encourage you to follow the majority of your time consuming whole real foods. I am also real when it comes to food. There is a time and a place I don’t believe that we’re all going to completely avoid. I’m sure there’s some, I will not be one of them, but if the majority of the time you’re eating whole real foods and what’s in the food you’re eating, and you’re probably going to be just fine, you may find that in understanding your genetics, you might need something a little bit more often in a certain nutrient profile or a certain property to help support maybe detoxification or some of these other processes better because it’s how your body is functioning. So you might find that, hey, I might need a high dose of this regularly. So again, thinking of keeping it simple, but keeping it real.

where you aren’t so obsessive and restrictive with your diet

(33:03):

So I think that keeps you grounded as a person where you aren’t so obsessive and restrictive with your diet, but yet you’re not so far out there that you have no boundaries that anything goes. And it doesn’t matter the impact on my health. I don’t believe in that either. So I think, again, that’s why I do love genetics because I think it does really help you remove the restriction when unnecessary and really help you make decisions, informed decisions I might have, maybe both my parents have diabetes, the risks are high for me. Maybe I need to look at some of my genes to see how I can support better glucose and insulin regulation so that I can prevent the onset of pre-diabetes and diabetes. And I can say that I can speak to that personally. And my mom actually had a stroke from uncontrolled diabetes that kicked dementia in. So although we can’t pick lineage, we can do something about our genetic makeup. So that’s what I want you to understand, that your genes only load the gun.

Processes that support you in detoxification

(34:37):

And then really methylation kind of pulls off the safety. So your genes, whatever you were given, load the gun methylation kind of releases the safety, and then your diet and lifestyle choices pull the trigger. So depending, again, never perfection, but what you do the majority of the time is signaling what will occur in your body, because again, we’re a bunch of chemical reactions occurring every second of the day, and biological processes that happen rapidly, my encouragement of consuming fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, spices, herbs, really has a foundation of where it’s coming from. This isn’t, I would say, most dieticians, our biggest battle is getting people to eat fruits and vegetables. But the reasoning behind this, the foundation of why I really do want you to consume fruits and vegetables and spices and whole grains and herbs and all of those is because of these phytonutrients, antioxidants, and different properties that trigger that start the process of some of these processes that support you in detoxification, support you in methylation, all of those things that you’re like, what do those even mean is more than likely what you’re thinking, but these things are occurring in our body and supporting them with whole real food, with your vegetables, fruits, spices, herbs, pulses, those types of things are so important because they influence the level and the acuity and the timing of all of that.

Stimulating Detoxification Enzymes

(36:44):

And if you’re lacking, that’s when your body can get hung up and not work appropriately. So number one, stimulating detoxification enzymes, some phytonutrients found in whole real food. So they’re not. That is what you lose when you buy packaged, processed, prepared foods, you lose these phytonutrients. That processing is what we’re missing when we rely on big food to feed us, if that makes sense. But these phytonutrients can stimulate the liver to produce these detoxification enzymes. And I’ve talked about, and actually in that, the lock and key to weight loss that I talked about earlier, the post, the blog post that I have already talked about, the lock and key to weight loss resistance, I think, yeah, to weight loss resistance. That one is I go into that conversation about the liver detoxification I go into and I explain all the different vitamins and minerals and food properties that are necessary for each chemical reaction to occur.

Detox phase two

(38:09):

So for methylation, it needs, and even detox phase two and phase one and phase three detoxification, all of those need different vitamins and minerals, not a medication, not any other thing that is supposed to replace it. We fuel off of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, polyphenols, proteins, carbs, fat fiber. Our body is like this machine that continues as long as we fuel it appropriately. So I think we lose sight of the importance of just eating whole real food and think, I don’t have time for that. When really you could make these so quickly that you could do it faster than driving to a restaurant and ordering even through a drive-through. I can cook eggs faster than my husband driving to Starbucks and buying egg bites. I can cook them faster. So again, it’s a mindset. It’s a, I guess, accepting some responsibility for how your health outcomes are.

what can I do to help support my body and the compounds?

(39:45):

So again, I want you to experiment and start. If you’ve never grown up eating vegetables and fruit and you were always fed McDonald’s and fast food and packaged processed stuff, you’ve never even tasted some of these things. Have an open mind, have an experimental attitude because again, no one can do this for you. There’s no pill, there’s no shot, there’s no iv, there’s nothing that can do as good as whole real food when it really comes down to it on a daily basis. Yeah, and when you go in the hospital, there’s things we can do, IVs of vitamin A. There’s things we can do to support you if things are really, really bad, but this isn’t something that you could do every day. So what can we do? Let’s step back and say, what can I do to help support my body and the compounds?

Detoxification enzymes

(40:55):

If we kind of dig into this, the compounds in the cruciferous, again, we’ve talked about this. Cauliflower, broccoli, kale have been shown to stimulate the production of these detoxification enzymes and even citrus fruits. The flavonoids can boost liver enzymes and improve detoxification and as well as the flavonoids in berries. So again, there, it’s not magic. It’s a nice subtle, smooth transition that you help support. And when you’re missing these things, there’s nothing there to replace it. That’s what I’m saying. There’s no pill, there’s no shot, there’s no infusion, there’s no procedure that can replace it. So whole real food is your best option to consume the majority of the time to get the outcomes that you want with your health. I guess that’s the best way to say it. Okay, so the impact of whole real food on detoxification, stimulating detoxification enzymes, number one. So it can stimulate these enzymes to do their job.

Antioxidant activity

(42:10):

And then two antioxidant activity. So it can provide antioxidant protection. So free radicals are occurring. Free radicals are kind of think of them as kind of a negative, bad thing that your body is producing. Free radicals and antioxidants kind of capture them to not do damage. So free radicals can do damage to tissue cells and everything like that, and antioxidants protect you from that damage. So free radicals, think of ’em are unstable molecules that cause oxidative stress. Which is a human equivalent of rusting, which we’ve talked about before. And it damages cells and it can cause inflammation, aging and chronic diseases even as far as cancer. So an antioxidant neutralizes these free radicals, reducing their harmful impact on the body. Some powerful antioxidants and whole real food include vitamin C and E, polyphenols. Beta carotene, and fruits, vegetable teas and chocolates. I’m going to preface this with saying, don’t run out and start taking a bunch of vitamin E and C and pills.

Don’t go buy supplements

(43:27):

Don’t go buy supplements to do this because what they have found is the pill form isolating these nutrients. Does not have the same protection and the same impact as getting it from food because again. You’re not getting in a vitamin C pill. You are not getting these extra phytochemicals that come with a vitamin C rich food. And again, another thing I’ve learned when it comes to vitamin mineral levels and supplementation, less is more. Because the more that you take individual pills for things, the more you disrupt the balance and your body needs balance. It needs to keep all of these vitamins and minerals in a balanced state to work correctly and more. We do high doses of something. It messes the balance with another one because there’s always two that go together like vitamin A and D, copper, selenium, iron, and vitamin C. There’s always another vitamin or mineral that pairs with that and has to remain in balance.

You’re getting vitamin C

(44:57):

So again, less is more when it comes to supplements and the food, it provides the blend of everything. So not only do you get, if you have a strawberry nut, you’re getting vitamin C, but you’re also getting a little betacarotene. You’re also getting some fiber. You’re also getting the compounds from carbohydrates and just a good mix of everything, some potassium. All of that stuff is coming from that one food. It’s not isolated. So nature does not work in isolation. It works in combination with a group of vitamins and minerals and phytonutrients and antioxidants and polyphenols all working together to do their job. So that’s why pills don’t solve the problem.

Supporting Cellular Health

(45:53):

Number three, supporting cellular health. So antioxidants, the activity of phytonutrients help maintain the health of the cells and the tissues and whole real food, support health and the function of the cellular system by reducing oxidative stress and promoting the removal of damaged cellular components through autophagy. So that will be another topic and that we’ll go through autophagy that will explain that more in detail. But this cellular process is super impactful to your overall health, but if you think of whole real food, it can help support you at a cellular level. Number four is fiber. For gut health. Typically, whole food can provide you with the fiber. So it’s not when you have a processed ingredient, it’s not removing the fiber. So that’s why we want whole grains multigrains, where they haven’t stripped the fiber out and just added a synthetic fiber. Instead, your body needs those natural fibers. And it’s really crucial for your gut health and detoxification, regular bowel movements. And it just really helps eliminate the waste and toxins through consuming adequate fiber.

Fiber for Gut Health

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So it’s just a great natural way to help all of the processes work appropriately. The importance of supporting your liver and kidneys. So the liver and kidneys are essential for good health. Supporting these organs can enhance your detoxification capacity. A study from 2000, the effects of a short program of detoxification in disease-free individuals suggested the following strategies for detoxification and supporting liver and kidney health. They used a hyporallergenic diet, one that excluded all the main allergens like wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, most of the top eight. And they say that some people may be allergic to these foods, which can lead to inflammation and the production of toxins. And by avoiding these foods, people who are allergic to them can reduce their exposure to toxins and improve their overall health. Additionally, increase water intake. So this one is definitely not rocket science. Hydration, hydration, hydration, staying on top of your fluid intake and water.

Importance of Supporting Liver & Kidneys

(48:38):

Actually drinking water. Water helps dissolve toxins and carry them out of the body through urination and sweating. So drinking enough water throughout the day is important, especially if you are exercising and sweating a lot too. There are also herbal supplements, milk thistle, dandelion root are definitely known for their liver support. I’m also going to throw in here sulforphane because it’s a great product that truly does help support at that detoxification phase exercise. So think of all of the outlets of detoxification, pain, pooping, sweating, breathing, anything that stimulates those is supporting detoxification. So the more you exercise, you improve your circulation and your lymph flow. And it can help remove the toxins, gets your heart pumping, makes you sweat. All of those things help with the detoxification process. Saunas, infrared saunas are another great way. Again, it’s helping you sweat and move toxins from your body through your skin.

A hypoallergenic diet

(50:01):

All of that is a great option. So let’s wrap this up. So detoxification is the process by which the body eliminates harmful substances. And despite mixed perceptions about the term detox, it’s important to understand its science. And genes can affect an individual’s ability to process toxins efficiently. The liver and the kidneys play a crucial role in detoxification. Eating whole real foods, rich in phytonutrients can support these detoxification processes and individuals should understand the interplay between genetics and nutrition to support the body’s natural detoxification mechanisms. So I know this topic is, I would say controversial to some degree. Because of detoxification being looked at in the conventional healthcare setting as very non-science based. But I want you to know there truly is evidence in supporting detoxification pathways in certain individuals, not all of you. So you all don’t need a detox protein powder. You all don’t need to go through some cleanse.

Increased water intake

(51:16):

I don’t support those. But if for me, if I’m going to help support someone in detoxification. It’s going to be all about vegetables and plants and getting adequate protein. And supporting that protein, getting adequate hydration and electrolytes, sweating, building their muscle, all of that stuff matters. So it’s not just about taking a pill you may need. For me, I choose, I chose to take sulforaphane as a supplement as opposed to eating broccoli sprouts every day. I would need almost a cup. It’s like three-fourths of a cup of broccoli sprouts every day to help support my gstm one deletion that. I have that impacts my phase two detoxification and the whole glutathione antioxidants. So I was inconsistent, and I found that taking a supplement worked way better for me. Not everyone has to choose that. If you do, there’s nothing wrong with it. But again, it’s one of those things that you just have to evaluate what’s your normal routines and behaviors are.

Sauna or steam room

(52:38):

And I don’t like eating the same breakfast every day. I don’t like having the same thing every day. So for me, it wasn’t working because I wasn’t able to get that full three-fourths of a cup in consistently enough that I felt like it was effective. So again, I think considering genetics, getting a testing done, although you may feel like it’s an investment, it’s your roadmap for the rest of your life, to me, it’s a one time investment that keeps giving for the rest of your life. Anytime you go through a season of change in your health, you just get that thing right back out. That whole roadmap, and we start going down the path of what are your symptoms? What are you experiencing? And it helps me determine what’s been turned on, what has occurred? Did menopause shift something on? Did a stressful event turn something on, and now we need to help support you in a different way?

Conclusion

(53:44):

To me, that is a small investment for a long-term gain. You get that benefit for life by having that genetic roadmap that really is never going to change. You only need it once. Need one genetic test for the rest of your life. And it’s going to help guide you and make informed decisions as to what may benefit you the most. So that genetic test can truly help really lay a foundation and ground you in making decisions. So again, it’s one of those things that I think you’ve got to work with a practitioner. You need to consider a genetic test. So you have that roadmap to truly make informed decisions. So I hope this week’s topic has, I guess, lighten the load on the word detox or detoxification and not put it in such a negative light per se, but truly just allow you to look at it neutrally and say, okay, this truly could be a thing for some person. And that’s okay. They might need that support at a detoxification level, and there’s nothing wrong with it. So you guys have a great week, and we will see you next time. Bye-bye.

Listen, Learn, Enjoy…

1. 1. 1. https://gastrichealth.com/podcast/the-gastric-health-show/episode-039-part-3-the-lock-key-to-weight-loss-resistance/?v=4096ee8eef7d
      2. Aronica, L., Ordovas, J. M., Volkov, A., Lamb, J. J., Stone, P. M., Minich, D., … & Bland, J. S. (2022). Genetic biomarkers of metabolic detoxification for personalized lifestyle medicine. Nutrients, 14(4), 768.
      3. Panda, C., Komarnytsky, S., Fleming, M. N., Marsh, C., Barron, K., Le Brun-Blashka, S., & Metzger, B. (2023). Guided Metabolic Detoxification Program Supports Phase II Detoxification Enzymes and Antioxidant Balance in Healthy Participants. Nutrients, 15(9), 2209.
      4. Hodges, R. E., & Minich, D. M. (2015). Modulation of metabolic detoxification pathways using foods and food-derived components: a scientific review with clinical application. Journal of nutrition and metabolism, 2015.
      5. MacIntosh, A., & Ball, K. (2000). The effects of a short program of detoxification in disease-free individuals. Alternative therapies in health and medicine, 6(4), 70.