Functional Liver Detoxication Profile: A Primer

There are many ways that you can assess the body’s ability to detoxify nutrients. You can look at genetic markers and variations, but I don’t consider that kind of testing to be very beneficial. Measuring the organic acids produced by the body also provides information about the body’s detoxification capacity.

One of the most common ways to look at detoxification ability is to measure liver function. The crazy thing is, they don’t spend enough time looking at the kidney function. The kidneys are a very powerful pair of detoxification organs, but they’re not usually assessed. It’s all about liver and bowel detox.

The liver is the biggest organ we’ve got. It’s full of blood, immune cells, and detoxification capacity. The liver performs over 200 functions in the body. One of its most crucial functions is to keep the blood very clean. The liver cleans the blood through a two-stage process that is divided into phase one and phase two.

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Phase one involves the work of enzymes. Enzymes can break down compounds and, in some cases, the intermediate products that result may be toxic. The body wants to contain any toxic compounds and reduce their ability to cause cell damage. This is where antioxidants nutrients like vitamins A, C, and E, and the minerals selenium and zinc come in.

Phase two is a little bit more complicated. Several processes occur in phase two. These chemical processes render the toxins water-soluble or fat-soluble, so they can be excreted through the kidneys or the bile, respectively. A functional liver test will assess both phase one and phase two liver pathways. A functional liver test is a urine test that is simple to perform. This investigation is good to do in conjunction with liver function blood tests. Together the urine and blood tests of liver function can give you a good understanding of your liver’s detoxification ability.

I recommend doing a functional liver test if you are trying to lose some weight or want to clean up your act by eating better and drinking less alcohol. In those circumstances, the functional liver test is an excellent idea. Ask your medical doctor or naturopath about it. They should be able to help you get one done.

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