December News

Why Liver Health is Important?

There are three key functional roles of the liver.

1.It filters our blood

2. disassembles all chemical compounds that we encounter for detoxification (in two phases for elimination)

3. synthesizes and secretes bile

Bile is the carrier for many toxic compounds and it aids in the digestion of fats in the small intestines by emulsifying fats in our food.

The health of the entire body is reflected in the effectiveness of the liver's detoxification pathways. Phase one is about biotransformation. The liver breaks down substances and toxins that enter the body that are converted to become more or less toxic metabolites. This is where free radicals are born and why antioxidants through diet is needed to deal with oxidative stress. In phase two further biotransformation happens. The metabolites of phase one have been oxidized and reduced and can now accept a molecule to make them more polar; merging highly toxic byproducts with a partner molecule that can detox from the body.

The liver is responsible for detoxing toxins hormones like estrogen, excess neurotransmitters, histamine from dealing with allergies, heavy metals, thyroid hormones, phenols from wine, salicylates (aspirin), bilirubin (aged red blood cells to be cleared from body), nicotine, bacteria, caffeine and more. The liver is partially responsible for stabilizing blood sugar levels. If blood sugar goes to low it will breakdown glycogen in the liver that allows for release stored glucose in the blood stream. If blood sugar gets to high, it removes it from the blood and stores it as glycogen to be used later or turns into fat if there's too much.

Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance is when your body's cells do not effectively use insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar (glucose) levels. As a result, your pancreas produces more insulin to help your cells get the energy they need and keep your blood glucose levels within a healthy range. Resistance to the hormone insulin leads to elevated blood levels of insulin. Since insulin encourages fat storage and suppresses the breakdown of fat, this can lead to an accumulation of fat in the liver.

The Liver Cholesterol Connection

When we look at cholesterol we want to look at the health of the liver. HDL "good cholesterol" is a scavenger that picks up cholesterol in the blood and takes to the liver for disposal for breakdown and excretion. LDL is considered the "bad cholesterol." It transports fats and fatty acids from the liver to peripheral tissue for uptake and metabolism. When HDL can't pick up LDL it is left to oxidize in the walls of the arteries along with other substances leading to plaque build up, a risk for heart disease. When LDL cholesterol is high it's telling us that the liver needs support, is over burdened and there's inflammation in the peripheral tissues. The more fat there is in the liver the harder it is for the liver to perform optimally.

Things that Harm the Liver:

1. too much protein (everyone has individual needs)

2. too much sugar and simple carbohydrates (cause excess triglycerides stored in the liver)

3. overeating

4. too much enzyme deficient food (eat some raw food if you can process them)

5. drug residues from medicinal and recreational sources (need to be purified in the liver)

6. alcohol (causes inflammation that makes it more difficult to filter)

7. too many toxins, & heavy metals (heavy metals and pesticides damage and stress the liver)

8. lack of exercise (forces the liver to do the elimination that should be relegated to the lungs and skin)

9. diseases of the liver that thwarts its' function

    

The liver can be at the root cause of many health conditions. Symptoms of impaired liver function are broad ranging:

• digestive trouble

• constipation

• low energy

• allergies

• arthritis

• diabetes

• hypertension

• obesity

• infertility

   

Tips to support the liver:

• say goodbye to bad fats

• skip the late night snacks

• go green

• eat beets

• be a toxic avenger

• add more fiber to your diet

• use liver supporting herbs (milk thistle)

• skin brush to remove toxins

• use castor oil packs

• eat choline rich food

• eat well sourced protein

• eat cruciferous veggies

• add lemon zest or use D- limonene

• chlorophyll helps move out toxins

• take a high quality B complex vitamin daily

 As you can see there are many factors that damage the liver. The avoidance of toxic substances is important. Cleaning up the external environment; eating organic, not eating or drinking out of plastic, using air and water purifiers, avoiding skin care products with parabens and other toxicants is particularly important when you are trying to heal a chronic health condition naturally. We also want to be sure your bowels are moving adequately so toxins aren't recycling in the body: We want to move them out.

*information adapted from the Functional Nutrition Alliance Liver Bonus Class

HERBS FOR LIVER HEALTH

• dandelion root

• ginger

• garlic

• burdock

• horsetail

• milk thistle

• black walnut

• wormwood

   

  Check out the article in the button below from Rupa Health to see other liver supporting herbs and how herbs may be contraindicated if taking certain medications.

The Environmental Toxin & Obesity Connection and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Synthetic chemicals disrupt our metabolism. They damage the body's tissue and affect appetite and desire to exercise. High levels of toxins use up our glutathione (master antioxidant) stores which leads to higher circulating triglycerides as well as toxins that we can't get out in the glutathione pathway. Toxins promote weight gain, need a place to be stored and they are stored in fats. Sometime fat storage is a protective mechanism. People with extra fat may have a higher toxic load. Developing the fat stores protects people from the onslaught of toxins in the blood stream.

When dealing with true weight loss resistance looking at the efficacy of the liver is a direction we need to take. Toxic chemicals are ubiquitous this day and age. We are born with these toxicants and pass them through the placenta and transmit through breast milk. They come from pesticides, herbicides, food additives, artificial coloring, altered fats, synthetic hormones, bovine growth hormones, drugs, heavy metals, chemicals in the carpet, shower curtains, over the counter drugs, especially the use of NSAIDs. Sugar, which leads to non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is also a culprit along with endogenous sources of toxins inside the body such as the metabolites from bacteria and yeast overgrowths that create micro-toxins that the body has to excrete.

Fatty liver disease or NAFLD occurs when there is excess fat in the liver which corresponds to the body's ability to process sugar. The most common cause of fatty liver disease is alcohol. High sugar and high carb diets also contribute to the occurrences of fatty liver disease. Too much sugar and simple carbohydrates stress the liver. The body converts excess sugar to triglycerides which are stored in the liver as fat, a major indictor of heart disease and why sugar is a bigger factor in heart disease than fat.

The good news... A cleaned up diet, low in carbs and low calorie intake will support reversal of fatty liver disease. When the amount of toxins exceed our detox organs ability to detoxify we have have a response in the body. Since toxins wrap themselves in fat for storage we accumulate extra fat. If we give the digestive system a rest from its normal load of processing chemicals, the liver can go back to stored toxins to eliminate them therefore regenerate the itself and its function.

As a functional nutrition counselor my belief is that the best and most powerful intervention will always be to minimize exposure in the first place. I help clients identify opportunities and actions to help them systematically reduce their exposure. This ultimately helps the liver from getting overburdened leaving it unable to effectively eliminate toxins potentially causing weight gain and contributing to other chronic health issues. By modifying diet and lifestyle to avoid toxic exposure that a healing protocol provides, liver health can be restored.

I wish more primary care physicians were attuned to identifying toxin related illness. Below is a link to Environmental Medicine Education International (EMEI). Leading physicians in the functional medicine community are addressing environmental toxins as a major cause of disease and disability worldwide and are on a mission to educate other physicians in the overlooked area of environmental toxins as root causal factors of illness in their patients.