Purification - Background

Detoxification

As we move into Spring the thought of cleansing and detoxing comes to mind. What's involved, does it need to be hard, will I lose weight, were do I start and what do I do if it's not working for me......

Detoxification is the process in which the body eliminates or neutralizes toxic substances. Toxins come from various sources including the air, diet, drugs, alcohol, smoking, as well as metabolic by-products. Thus, lifestyle factors play a significant role in the accumulation of toxins. The build-up of toxins results in cellular damage, and eventually chronic disease.

A little back ground info. Cleansing and detoxes come in all size shapes and colors. Picking one that will work an cover all the bases and does no harm yet is easy to implement is no easy task.

Our General Dextoxification Systems
•Respiratory--lungs, bronchial tubes, throat, sinuses, and nose
•Gastrointestinal--liver, gallbladder, colon, and whole GI tract
•Urinary--kidneys, bladder, and urethra
•Skin and dermal--sweat and sebaceous glands and tears
•Lymphatic--lymph channels and lymph nodes

Among its many functions, the most important role of the liver is that of detoxification. The liver detoxifies harmful substances by a complex series of chemical reactions. The role of these various enzyme activities in the liver is to convert fat soluble toxins into water soluble substances that can be excreted in the urine or the bile depending on the particular characteristics of the end product.

When optimum nutrition is provided the liver operates efficiently. A great many people however, do not eat the right kinds of foods to provide the liver with everything it needs for the elimination of the extra toxins our bodies are exposed to on a daily basis. If nutrition is compromised through poor dietary and lifestyle habits, this will have implications on detoxification processes, and other organ functions will suffer as the body retains the toxins it cannot eliminate.

Detox Pathways and Support
The liver is the primary detoxification pathway responsible for processing all of the endogenous and exogenous chemicals within the body. Each minute, nearly one-third of the total body blood flow is pumped through the liver. The liver filters the blood and removes harmful substances such as drugs, bacteria, toxins and foreign proteins. There are two primary detoxification enzymatic pathways in the liver in which chemicals are eliminated or neutralized, known as Phase I and Phase II reactions.

Phase I
Phase I reactions primarily process chemicals to undergo phase II reactions. Phase I converts toxins via oxidative, hydrolytic and reductive reactions. The most common reactions are oxidation, utilizing the microsomal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase family of enzymes. The cytochrome (CYP) family of enzymes plays an important role in the detoxification of drugs, as well as drug interactions. The phase I metabolites are highly reactive and may cause damage if not properly removed from the body in phase II reactions.

Other nutrient cofactors required for cytochrome P450 reactions include riboflavin, niacin, magnesium, iron and certain phytonutrients such as indoles from cruciferous vegetables and quercetin have been shown to support Phase I detoxification.

Phase II
Phase II reactions involve several pathways in which molecules undergo conjugation in the liver. The substances being metabolized are attached to endogenous molecules such as acetate, glucuronate, glycine or sulfate to form water-soluble metabolites. These water-soluble metabolites are then excreted from the body in the urine or in the bile.

Other nutrients which play vital roles in the Phase II pathway include amino acids glycine, cysteine, glutamine, methionine, taurine, glutamic acid and aspartic acid. Glutamine plays a chief role in ammonia detoxification as well as helping to maintain mucosal integrity of the gastrointestinal tract.

Vitamins and minerals – particularly the B vitamins – play a major role, acting as cofactors for many enzyme systems including those of liver detoxification, therefore ensuring a plentiful supply of the B complex group of vitamins is of prime importance for optimum detoxification. Therefore, including plenty of whole grains which contain B vitamins in the diet as well as taking a Cataplex G complex supplement will aid the liver in this crucial role.

Supporting All Aspects of Detoxification
In order to optimize detoxification, nutrients, precursors and enzymatic cofactors must be constantly replenished and both phase I and phase II must be supported. Below are some processes involved in detoxification and the nutrients needed to support those processes.

Glucuronidation
Glucuronidation is a critical detoxification process where glucuronic acid is coupled (conjugated) with numerous drugs, hormones, bilirubin, pollutants and bile acids. The enzyme UDP-glucuronosyltransferase catalyzes this reaction while the enzyme beta-glucuronidase minimizes it. Research has shown that micro nutrients found in various fruits and vegetables including oranges, apples, grapefruit and cruciferous vegetables inhibit beta-glucuronidase, thereby supporting detoxification. Silymarin, a constituent of milk thistle, also inhibits the enzyme beta-glucuronidase. Elevated beta-glucuronidase activity is associated with an increased risk for various cancers, particularly hormone-dependent cancers such as breast, prostate and colon cancers.

Glutathione
Glutathione is an antioxidant compound synthesized from the precursor amino acids glutamate, cysteine and glycine. It is mainly involved in detoxification mechanisms of xenobiotics (foreign chemicals) and carcinogens through conjugation reactions via the enzyme glutathione transferase. Heavy metals such as mercury are removed from the body by conjugation with glutathione. Numerous substances have been shown to support glutathione levels in addition to the amino acid precursors including N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), S-adenosyl-methionine (SAMe), milk thistle and vitamin C complex. Increased free radical metabolite production during phase I reactions can result in depleted glutathione levels and glutathione conjugation in phase II detoxification.

Acetylation
Acetylation is a process in which toxins are conjugated by N-acetyltransferase with acetyl coenzyme A. This pathway is responsible for metabolizing numerous drugs and carcinogens. Variations in acetylation (“slow acetylators”) are associated with drug interactions such as reactions to sulfa drugs. Research suggests that Thiamine (vitamin B1), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) and vitamin C (complex) support acetylation.

Amino-Acid Conjugation
Numerous amino acids such as arginine, glutamine, glycine, ornithine and taurine, are conjugated with toxins for neutralization. Most commonly, glycine is involved in phase II detoxification.

Methylation
Methylation is the addition of a methyl group to any substrate. Betaine is a primary methyl donor and requires adequate levels of Methionine, Choline, Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid for synthesis. Methylation is important for the metabolism of several pharmaceuticals as well as neurotransmitters.

Sulfation and Sulfoxidation
The addition of a sulfur-containing compound by sulfur transferases is used to eliminate hormones, neurotransmitters and numerous medications including acetaminophen. The amino acids methionine and cysteine are important sources of inorganic sulfate. Sulfation is also an important detoxification pathway of bile acids resulting in increased bile acid solubility, decreased intestinal absorption, and enhanced fecal and urinary excretion. Additionally, bile acid-sulfates are also less toxic than their un-sulfated counterparts. The enzyme sulfite oxidase transforms sulfites to sulfate to promote detoxification by sulfoxidation. Molybdenum is a cofactor for sulfite oxidase and thus required for optimal detoxification. Sulfites are used as a preservative and are found in many processed foods, wine and some medications.

Next ......................Standard Process Purification Program: 21 Days