Unlocking Liver Health: Deep Dive into Function, Detox, and Optimal Wellness
Are you curious about detoxing or learning about how our bodies need extra support in eliminating toxins? Read on as I do a deep dive into our most important detoxing organ, the liver: how it functions, how it naturally rids our body of toxins, ways we can support the detoxing process, and how the health of this mighty organ is key in our overall wellness. Stick around for the end as I debunk common myths about the liver!
Recap of the Liver Basics
To recap my previous blog post, Here’s Why You Should Love Your Liver, our liver is a powerhouse organ because of its primary role in detoxification. The size of a football, it processes and filters everything we consume–the food we chew, the drinks we sip, and the air we breathe.
Aside from detoxification, it aids in over 500 bodily systems including digestion, hormone regulation, strengthens our immune system, and helps manage our blood sugar.
Liver and Detoxification:
Because our liver is the primary pathway to detoxing chemicals and toxins, it is an integral part of maintaining overall health. When it comes to detoxification of things we consume, it can be broken down into two phases:
Phase 1: Enzymes located in the liver convert the toxins we consume in our diet, lifestyle, and the environment into less harmful substances to the body.
Phase 2: Since some byproducts from phase 1 are still toxic, they need to be processed further. If they remain in the liver and are not filtered a second time, they could build up and be stored in the organ. To prevent this, phase 2 involves neutralizing the toxins that are filtered a second time into water-soluble substances. From there, they can be excreted from the body.
These two phases may seem like simple processes, but their occurrences are absolutely vital to the health of our other systems. If our liver is unhealthy or under-functioning, our bodies can be faced with toxic build-up. Toxic overload can lead to gut permeability, mast cell overreaction, histamine responses, and overall inflammation. This means understanding where the toxic exposure is coming from is key to healing its chronic effects and supporting the liver.
Toxic Exposures
Home and personal care products:
Common name home and personal care products can contain an abundance of toxic chemicals. Think of items we use every day: cleaning agents, cosmetics, and perfumes containing fragrances. To name a few well-known chemicals—phthalates and parabens—have been linked to causing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and accumulate in the body.
Pesticides and plastic:
Commercially-made water bottles, plastic food containers, and nonstick cookware contain high levels of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), BPA (bisphenol A), and PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PVC and BPA are known to be hormone and endocrine disruptors and PFAS are linked to a cascade of health effects such as increased cholesterol, fertility issues in women, changes in the immune system, liver damage, and increased risk of thyroid disease.
Chemicals used in food systems and vegetation management for increased crop production such as pesticides (including herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) have been linked to the development of cancer, Parkinson’s disease, asthma, depression and anxiety, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Nutrition:
Some packaged and processed foods commonly found on our grocery store shelves contain an unknown amount of preservatives, food coloring, and additives. Dyes such as Red 40 and Yellow 10 have been correlated to neurological diseases–especially in young children. Red 40 in particular contains benzene, a known cancer-causing substance.
When it comes to the things we can control in trying to limit toxic exposure, begin by reading labels! Find cleaner products for your home and personal care that do not contain harmful chemicals. Always try to opt for organic and non-GMO whole foods when it comes to nutrition, but for the packaged grocery store items, read the nutrient labels. If you can’t pronounce an ingredient on the label, there is a chance it may be harmful.
Liver-Supporting Recommendations
Nutrition
There are many ways to support your liver and detox heavy metals, chemicals, and toxins from your systems. A diet filled with cruciferous vegetables, flavonoids, B-complex vitamins, and antioxidants (to name a few) are great actionable ways to support your liver. Other supportive ways include teas such as milk thistle, dandelion, and Schisandra berry, as well as rituals such as castor oil packs and infrared sauna sessions.
Supplements
Here are some supplements I recommend to help support the liver:
Magnesium: Magnesium plays a key role in energy metabolism and it impacts inflammatory pathways. Studies have shown magnesium supplementation can protect the liver and mortality associated with liver cancer.
NAC (N-acetyl cysteine): NAC has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, making it a great supporter in the toxin-elimination process. NAC helps replenish glutathione, one of our body’s most important antioxidants.
B-Complex: B vitamins such as B12 and B9 (folic acid) help support the liver by mitigating inflammation and potentially reversing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. NAFLD affects nearly 25% of Americans and is closely tied to metabolic disorders such as diabetes and hypertension.
Fiber: Fiber is so important for all systems but especially the liver! Fiber promotes a healthy gut microbiome and lowers the risk of liver disease by eliminating waste from the body.
Debunking Detox Myths
Myth: Detox is only for alcohol, drugs, or caffeine withdrawal.
Truth: Detox is about supporting your body in clearing out everyday toxins found in food, soil, air, and water.
Myth: If you can’t see toxins, they’re not there.
Truth: Many toxins, like microplastics and chemicals, are invisible but still impact your health.
Myth: Your body doesn’t need help detoxifying.
Truth: While your body has a natural detox system, today’s toxic load often requires extra support to work efficiently.
Myth: Avoiding plastics completely eliminates exposure.
Truth: Plastics are rampant in our environment, from food packaging to microplastics in water. While reducing exposure helps, it doesn’t eliminate it.
Our liver is a powerhouse organ! Knowing how the liver functions, connects with other organs, its natural detox pathways, and ways we can support the liver through diet, teas, rituals, and supplements will optimize overall health.