Now that the holidays are over it’s the perfect time to give your body, and more specifically your hard-working liver, a much needed rest. Why does your liver need a holiday? Unfortunately, no matter how well you eat or what part of the world you live in, studies show that you will still have some level of toxin exposure. Over the last fifty years, over 80,000 new chemicals have been created resulting in an increasingly polluted environment. The older you get the more years of environmental toxin exposure you have under your belt, making a new year’s detox even more imporant. Detoxification is a critical process by which the body rids itself of harmful toxins. However, with all the fad detox systems out there it can get a little confusing. In this article, we’ll outline the importance of the liver as the body’s primary detox organ and explain how exercise can have a big positive impact on your detox. We’ll also provide the info on liver detox basics and get started on your own ‘true’ detox program.

The liver plays a major role in metabolism, hormone production, and detoxification. It’s your liver’s job to neutralize toxins and eliminate them from the body using a complex two-step system. The first step is called Phase I detoxification, where toxins are liberated from their storage sites into the bloodstream, becoming water-soluble. This step involves a group of enzymes called p450 and requires various nutrients such as B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, copper, folic acid, as well as antioxidants glutathione, N-acetyl cysteine, lipoic acid, and branched-chain amino acids. It is within Phase I that the metabolization of prescription medications, alcohol, and caffeine occurs. People who experience headaches with caffeine consumption or exposure to perfumes may have a deficiency in the Phase I system.

Phase II detoxification involves taking the now water soluble toxins and eliminating them from the body through the urine and stool. This is an important step that requires nutrients such as B5, B6, B12, vitamin C, folic acid, selenium, zinc, glutathione, and amino acids glycine, methionine, cysteine, taurine, and glutamine. You can think of Phase I as taking the trash from the garbage can inside your house out to the street corner, and Phase II as the garbage truck coming along to take away the trash for good. When these two phases of detoxification are overburdened the body’s response to the build-up of toxins is to store them in far off places where their damage will be minimized: in our body fat tissues. As toxins accumulate, they disrupt and inhibit our mitochondria’s – the cells energy source – ability to burn body fat for energy, leading to weight gain and poor health.

Did you know that exercise also plays a major role in a well-rounded detox protocol? That’s right, exercise is a crucial component of any detox program. Exercise improves the delivery of oxygen to the body’s tissues, accelerates the body’s ability to breakdown toxins, and also improves the flow of lymph (the immune cells of the body’s defense system) that further enhances detoxification. Also, exercise burns body fat thereby reducing your body’s overall ‘toxic load’. Recent studies also confirm that exercise improves liver function, reduces fatty liver, and decreases liver enzymes (ie. ALT), which reflects the overall burden on the liver. This is compelling evidence for incorporating exercise into your detox program to keep your liver healthy and decrease your toxic load. Getting your liver enzymes checked by your Naturopathic Doctor or G.P. is a great start to determine how hard your liver is really working. Check out the list below to see where you stand.

ALT Levels
▪ Less than < 20 = Excellent! All-star status, your liver loves you. ▪ Between 20-25 = Very good! Keep up the good work and add a little support. ▪ Between 25-30 = Good. Liver starting to work a little too hard, moderate support needed. ▪ Greater than >30 = Below par. Liver is working quite hard. Get started on a comprehensive liver support plan.
▪ Greater than >40 = Poor. may need to seek medical care and comprehensive liver plan

In order to reduce the overall workload of the liver and begin a basic detoxification protocol you need to follow four simple steps. These steps will help provide the body everything it needs to clean itself from the inside out. First, remove the things that are hardest on your liver; this includes caffeine (coffee and chocolate are common sources), alcohol, refined simple sugars like candy and soda pop, and processed foods. This is the most important step and ideally you should completely remove these things from your diet for a full two weeks. However, if some of these things are difficult to cut out completely, then try to reduce your consumption by half. Second, increase the amount of nutrients the body needs for phase I and phase II liver detoxification. You can do this by increasing your fruit and vegetable consumption. Aim for five fruit and ten vegetable servings daily. You can also add a liver support formula like MediClear and some liver cleansing herbs milk thistle, artichoke, and turmeric. Third, add water!

By increasing your water intake you will keep cells fully hydrated and help kidneys filter out the toxins and waste through urine. Finally, incorporate exercise into your detox protocol to dramatically enhance your results. Within 2 weeks your body will benefit from the effects of your detox efforts. Remember, before starting any exercise or detoxification protocol consult your family physician or naturopathic doctor, and be sure to listen to your body and not overdo it.
You are now ready to start your detoxifying your body and maximizing your health and performance in the New Year. Enjoy the ride!

Marc Bubbs ND, BSc, CSCS, ART

References
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4) Muriel P, Arauz J. Coffee and liver diseases. Fitoterapia. 2010 Jul;81(5):297-305.
5) Stirnimann G, Kessebohm K, Lauterburg B. Liver injury caused by drugs: an update. Swiss Med Wkly. 2010 Sep 24;140:w13080.