Detoxing and the Liver

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Misty L. Trepke

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Detoxing and the Liver

 

The liver is a large reddish-brown organ located in the upper right

part of the abdominal cavity extending 3-4 inches to the left of the

midline. It weighs about three pounds and is approximately 3-5% fat.

It performs over 500 functions. The liver is the major organ involved

in detoxifying our system.

 

You could function fairly normally with as little as 1/6th of your

liver intact, and if as much as 80% of your liver were cut away it

would grow back to a full size in approximately three months. Because

the liver is designed in this way, it is usually hard to determine if

the liver is damaged until the damage is quite advanced.

 

Some of the major liver functions include:

 

1) Synthesizing 1-2 grams of cholesterol daily (about three times the

average daily dietary intake) to be used to produce steroid hormones

and bile salts.

 

2) Storage of excess vitamins A, B-12, D, K, and iron.

 

3) Synthesizes blood proteins - albumin, globulin, and fibrinogen (a

clotting factor).

 

4) Converts dietary fatty acids into circulating phospholipids.

 

5) Converts beta-carotene to Vitamin A.

 

6) Can store up to 1 liter of extra blood in times of excess blood

volume and supply it to the body when needed (e.g. in times of blood

loss or heavy exercise).

 

7) Can convert up to ½ ounce of alcohol per hour into carbon dioxide

and water.

 

8) Makes 1 quart of bile daily to aid in dietary fat emulsification.

 

9) Detoxifies incompletely digested proteins, excess hormones

(estrogen, progesterone, testosterone), drugs, food additives,

poisons, etc.

 

10)Converts glucose, pyruvic acid, amino acids, glycerol and lactic

acid to glycogen. It can store up to 4 ounces of glycogen to be

released when it is needed to maintain blood sugar levels, upon

signals via epinephrine or glucagon.

 

11)Stores sodium which aids in neutralizing some toxins.

 

12) Uses bile salts to aid in breakdown and absorption of vitamins A,

D, E, and K.

 

13) Takes ammonia which is formed from the break down of protein and

changes it into urea for kidney excretion.

 

14) The kupffer cells of the liver filter out about 99% of the

bacteria in the blood coming from the intestines before it can enter

the general circulation.

 

15) Breaks down lipids for energy, desaturates fatty acids.

 

16) Forms new sugar (gluconeogenesis). Cortisol can increase this

process up to 1000% and greatly increase blood sugar levels. The

liver can synthesize up to 4 ounces of glucose daily and will do this

during fasting and diabetes mellitus. A properly functioning liver

will buffer or tone down swings in blood sugar by up to 65%.

Bile from the liver is either stored in the gallbladder or secreted

into the duodenum. It is approximately 97.5% water, 1.1% bile salts,

and small amounts of bilirubin (a byproduct of used and ruptured red

blood cells), cholesterol, lecithin, and electrolytes (especially

sodium and chloride ions). The bile salts decrease the surface

tension of fat particles in the small intestine allowing them to be

broken down into smaller pieces so they can be acted upon by lipase.

Without bile salts only about half the fat eaten would be absorbed as

compared to 97% with normal bile secretion.

 

Symptoms of Liver Dysfunction

 

1) Any symptoms due to an excessive amount of hormones be it

estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, etc., could be due to a malfunction

in the secreting organ or could be due to an overtaxed

or sluggish liver being unable to deactivate it.

 

2) Increased cholesterol levels can be from overproduction by the

liver.

 

3) Abdominal bloating, tenderness over the liver area.

 

4) Acne, skin rashes, photophobia, constipation, itching, fatigue,

loss of appetite, yellow tinge to skin (due to excessive bilirubin),

bitter or metallic taste in the mouth, split ends, brittle nails, all

may indicate liver dysfunction.

 

5)Hypothyroidism can be due to excess estrogen in the blood, due to

the liver not breaking it down.

 

6) Blood sugar handling problems due to the glucose-glycogen-glucose

conversion. Large swings in blood sugar can be due to a diseased

liver.

 

7) Liver congestion can cause portal hypertension leading to pressure

in the venous system and thus causing hemorrhoids or

varicose veins.

 

8) Pain between the shoulder blades, inability to digest fats

properly, and decreased resistance to infection can all indicate

liver dysfunction.

 

9) Swelling in legs due to an overtaxed liver being unable to destroy

extra antidiuretic hormone.

 

Causes of Liver Dysfunction

 

1) It is up to the liver to detoxify most poisons we eat, touch,

smell, and breathe daily.

 

2) Fried foods, animal fats, hydrogenated vegetable fat (margarine,

etc.), too much vegetable oil, and roasted nuts, can overtax and

congest the liver.

 

3) Taking ferrous sulfate as an iron supplement can damage the liver.

 

 

4) Polluted air and water, taking strong medications, strong cleaning

solutions, soaps, deodorants, birth control pills,

pesticides, herbicides, food additives, etc., can overtax the

liver and damage it.

 

5) Page 865 of Merck's Manual states " Drugs are an important cause of

hepatic disease " .

 

6) Nerve pressure in the mid thoracics can cause liver dysfunction.

 

7) Tannic acid, and BHA (a common food additive) have been implicated

in liver cancer.

 

8) Any dysfunction in any other organs of elimination - colon,

kidneys, lungs, skin can overload the liver by giving it more work to

do.

 

9) Artificial sweeteners have been implicated in liver damage.

 

10) Diets too high in protein (meat, gluten, isolated soy protein)

can overwork the liver (converting excess ammonia to urea).

 

11) Refined sugar can damage mitochondria in liver cells and decrease

the ability of the liver to break down excess triglycerides causing

elevated triglyceride and cholesterol levels.

 

12) Alcohol is well known as a cause of liver cirrhosis. Tobacco and

caffeine must also be detoxified by the liver and can overwork it.

 

13) Corticosteroids (cortisone etc.), carbon tetrachloride, alcohol,

tetracycline, can all cause triglyceride and fat buildup in the

liver.

 

14) A B vitamin deficiency can make the liver unable to break down

excess steroid hormones.

 

15) A major cause of liver dysfunction is a toxic bowel with a

resultant increase in transit time. This overworks the kupffer cells

and other parts of the liver causing liver congestion and

sluggishness.

 

 

References:

 

1.The Merck Manual- 8th edition 1999

2.Pathophysiology- Concepts in Altered States - Patho

5th edition 1998

3.Principles of Anatomy and Physiology- Tortora Wiley

9th edition 1997

 

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