DETOX – DETOXIFY THE BODY
Detoxification or short “detox”, the freeing of our bodies from harmful substances, is an enticing goal and a well-known concept in the health and wellness community. It is a complex and opaque subject, which makes it very difficult for me to position myself clearly. I have decided that I would like to address this issue anyway. However, instead of making an overall judgment, I will present methods for which I have not found convincing scientific evidence and from which I myself keep my distance. On the other hand, I would also like to present some interesting methods and mechanisms that I think are promising.
OUR INNER MAGIC PURIFICATION
Of course, I cannot help but share my fascination for our wonderful body with you. When it comes to detoxification, our liver plays a central role. If we look even closer, it is equipped with innumerable enzymes. Enzymes are proteins that make certain reactions in our body possible in the first place – and that includes changing the substances that are toxic to our body in such a way that they can be rendered harmless and then excreted from the body via the bile. This happens in several steps, for which different groups of enzymes are responsible. The CYP enzymes are of particular importance; you may have heard of them before.
POWERFUL PLANTS AND ALGAE
With this knowledge, it is now easy to understand why substances that support these CYP enzymes consequently also contribute to detoxification. One of these activating substances is the plant substance sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is found in large quantities in broccoli and is released from the plant cells when they are broken down by chewing – in other words, “happy chewing”. However, the formation of sulforaphane still depends on the precursor enzyme myrosinase, which is sensitive to heat. In order for you to really ingest sulforaphane, it is important to steam or steam the broccoli only briefly. Or you can eat a part of it raw or just add mustard seed (can be boiled with it). When it comes to toxins ingested, for example through the environment or food, this effect is very desirable.
However, overconsumption of CYP enzymes also leads to increased excretion of other substances in our body. In particular, many drugs are excreted more quickly and thus can no longer be effective. Therefore, as everywhere else, it is important to change slowly and take it in moderation. But making broccoli an integral part of your diet is probably not dangerous. However, there are countless intensive and one-sided detox plans that can be quite dangerous. For example, I can only advise against a one-month broccoli juice cure. Because even these fantastic vegetables are harmful to this extent. For example, I like to eat seaweed for detox. Chlorella in particular has been found to have positive effects on liver diseases.
SWEAT IT ALL OUT
A wonderful and natural way to rid our body of toxic substances is sweating. Even if we do not always appreciate it, here it is really useful. It makes no difference how you produce it. So relax as you like in the sauna, yoga, dancing or basketball – let it flow! So sweat is no reason to be ashamed, but a wonderful cleansing mechanism for our body.
OUR INTESTINAL INHABITANTS
If you are now wondering what your intestinal inhabitants now have to do with detoxifying your liver, you will be thrilled. Because certain intestinal bacteria also influence the detoxification and our enzymes in the liver in different ways. The good thing is: we are not at the mercy of chance when choosing our intestinal inhabitants, but can quickly and in the long term determine who is allowed to feel good through our food. And as so often, we are 100 percent right with a plant-based diet 🙂. I have a blogpost about the microbiome yet.
BE CAREFUL AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
There is little regulation when it comes to detox offerings. Be careful what you do and always ask yourself if there is a more natural and less drastic way to reach your detoxification goal. In particular, extreme diets; preparations containing diuretics and laxatives; and things we don’t really know what they actually are bear health and psychological risks. Apart from that, they are often expensive and a balanced plant-based diet has at least the same and, above all, a more lasting effect.
What are your experiences with detox? I am incredibly curious to hear from you what you have tried and how it has worked for you!
Your Annelina
SOURCES:
WEST LG, MEYER KA, BALCH BA, ROSSI FJ, SCHULTZ MR, HAAS GW. GLUCORAPHANIN AND 4-HYDROXYGLUCOBRASSICIN CONTENTS IN SEEDS OF 59 CULTIVARS OF BROCCOLI, RAAB, KOHLRABI, RADISH, CAULIFLOWER, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, KALE, AND CABBAGE. J AGRIC FOOD CHEM. 2004;52(4):916-926. DOI:10.1021/JF0307189
EKIZ F, YUKSEL I, KERTMEN N, YUKSEL O. LIVER TOXICITY DUE TO BROCCOLI JUICE. EUR J GASTROENTEROL HEPATOL. 2010;22(7):898. DOI:10.1097/MEG.0B013E32832FA632
EBRAHIMI-MAMEGHANI M, SADEGHI Z, ABBASALIZAD FARHANGI M, VAGHEF-MEHRABANY E, ALIASHRAFI S. GLUCOSE HOMEOSTASIS, INSULIN RESISTANCE AND INFLAMMATORY BIOMARKERS IN PATIENTS WITH NON-ALCOHOLIC FATTY LIVER DISEASE: BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTATION WITH MICROALGAE CHLORELLA VULGARIS: A DOUBLE-BLIND PLACEBO-CONTROLLED RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIAL. CLIN NUTR. 2017;36(4):1001-1006. DOI:10.1016/J.CLNU.2016.07.004
SEARS ME, KERR KJ, BRAY RI. ARSENIC, CADMIUM, LEAD, AND MERCURY IN SWEAT: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW. J ENVIRON PUBLIC HEALTH. 2012;2012:184745. DOI:10.1155/2012/184745
O’KEEFE SJ, OU J, AUFREITER S, ET AL. PRODUCTS OF THE COLONIC MICROBIOTA MEDIATE THE EFFECTS OF DIET ON COLON CANCER RISK. J NUTR. 2009;139(11):2044-2048. DOI:10.3945/JN.109.104380
KLEIN AV, KIAT H. DETOX DIETS FOR TOXIN ELIMINATION AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE. J HUM NUTR DIET. 2015;28(6):675-686. DOI:10.1111/JHN.12286
BÓNA E, FORGÁCS A, TÚRY F. A LÉBÖJTKÚRÁK ÉS AZ ATÍPUSOS EVÉSZAVAROK LEHETSÉGES KAPCSOLATA. KVALITATÍV ELŐTANULMÁNY [POTENTIAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JUICE CLEANSE DIETS AND EATING DISORDERS. A QUALITATIVE PILOT STUDY]. ORV HETIL. 2018;159(28):1153-1157. DOI:10.1556/650.2018.31090
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