Spring-Summer Detox for Increased Toxic Exposure

by Carolyn Pierini, CLS (ASCP), CNC

Spring is an excellent time to consider the “spring cleaning” of our internal and external living spaces. In the spring and summer, our exposure to certain toxic substances, most notably aldehydes, increases. Therefore, embarking upon a continuing detox program at this time of year can be a highly effective way of clearing the body of harmful substances.

Of course, supporting detoxification is not only for improving our general health today but also as a preventative tactic to meet the challenge of the ever-increasing toxic load. Each day, environmental toxins are presented to our genetically unique bodies of every age and level of health through eating, drinking and breathing.

Increased Pesticide Exposure

In the summer, we tend to spend more time outdoors and are therefore exposed to more environmental toxins. For people who live in colder climates and near farmland, spring is the time of year when farmers spray their fields with pre-emergent herbicides, and as summer progresses, pesticides are used on the crops. Gardeners who don’t use organic pesticides are also exposed to more toxins in the summer, and even organic gardeners may have pesticides or herbicides drift over from neighboring yards.

Exposure to environmental toxins is widespread; there are approximately 80,000 chemicals in use by millions of Americans in their daily lives that are largely unregulated and under- or unstudied. Only a few hundred have been tested for safety and only singly, not in combination with other chemicals. Our human bodies, even before birth, are continually exposed to the yearly rise in the production, use, and disposal of billions of pounds of toxic chemicals entering our environment through industrial, manufacturing, agricultural, occupational, medical, food processing and military activity. Although they are everywhere, efforts can be made to limit our exposure to chemicals such as pesticides (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides), for example, in our immediate environments. Approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), pesticides alone contain nearly 900 active ingredients, many of which have carcinogenic, neurotoxic and endocrine-disrupting properties.¹

Pesticides are part of a larger group of environmental toxins called Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). Organic refers to a carbon component. Persistent means just that: they are persistent in the environment because they are resistant to degradation and due to their fat-soluble nature, they bioaccumulate in the tissues of humans and animals. Many contaminants—even some that have been banned for over 30 years—remain ubiquitous in the environment.¹ POPs can be found concentrated, or bioamplified, in the food chain.

Our elimination system is designed to conserve fats; therefore, these toxins are recycled and become stored in the body’s tissues, including adipose (fat tissue). The cells burn stored fat for energy during periods of weight loss, but they do not burn the fat-soluble toxins. This is why dieting without detoxification may result in a deluge of toxins entering the bloodstream, which may essentially poison the body and its metabolic systems, causing many to feel unwell, fatigued and unmotivated to keep up the effort. April’s newsletter article titled “The Potential Consequences of Weight Loss” discusses this effect. Furthermore, based on the fat-soluble nature of toxins, one of the most important reasons for choosing to consume lean, free-range animal protein is that factory-raised, grain-fed animal products with high-fat contents, along with farm-raised salmon, are considered the most common source of fat-soluble toxins like POPs.

Summer and Toxic Aldehydes

The chemical class of aldehydes, which includes the common toxins acetaldehyde and formaldehyde, was discussed in the July 2010 newsletter and webinar. Exposure to this pervasive class of toxins may increase with the upcoming summer heat. Furthermore, sitting by the campfire also results in aldehyde exposure, and taking walks outdoors on a busy street can also result in increased exposure to aldehydes, due to car exhaust.

Aldehydes are classified as probable neurotoxins (brain), mutagens and carcinogens and are also linked to the “addictive-ness” of tobacco and alcohol. Thus, we become exposed through alcohol and tobacco use, but also from common sources such as vehicle and factory exhaust, fuels, conditions of yeast overgrowth with Candida sp., trans fats, and from manufactured items of all types such as plastics, dyes, preservatives, adhesives, synthetic fragrances, deodorizers and the volatile out-gassing from new furniture, floors, cars and carpet. Lipid peroxidation (rancidity) of polyunsaturated fatty acids produce aldehydes such as formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, malonaldehyde and acrolein by action of heat, light, metals (iron, copper) and enzymes.^2-5 With so many sources of exposure to this class of chemicals, we can quickly become depleted in the important nutrients used to detoxify and metabolize aldehydes as well as other chemicals.

The increased exposure to aldehydes we experience in the summer as well as a year-round burden can have often unexpected health effects. For example, research is revealing that lower levels of aldehydes are linked to the ability to maintain healthy blood pressure. Balanced blood pressure is contributed to by a constellation of factors, but one in particular involves the healthy function of insulin and normal metabolism of sugars, which in turn helps minimize the formation of endogenous aldehydes. Animal studies have shown that increased levels of aldehydes may affect blood pressure and oxidative stress. These aldehydes react with free amino and sulfhydryl groups of membrane and intracellular proteins to form Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). AGEs act directly and through receptors to alter cellular activity.⁶

Elevations of aldehydes are capable of binding to vascular calcium channels, opening them to increase free calcium in the cells, resulting in vasoconstriction. In similar studies, it was shown that administration of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC), vitamin C, vitamin B6 and alpha lipoic acid all reduced tissue levels of aldehydes, balanced oxidative stress and helped maintain healthy blood pressure.^{3, 6-9} These particular nutrients and more are contained in AL-Neutralizer™—a product specifically formulated to support the detoxification and metabolism of aldehydes, along with the production of glutathione, the body’s premier antioxidant enzyme.

Year-Long Detoxification

Although spring is an ideal time to embark upon a detox regimen, once-a-year or intermittent detoxification support measures aren’t enough for the modern myriad of exposures that we now encounter. Daily attention to diet, lifestyle, and one’s immediate environment, plus a nutritional regimen that supports steady and manageable detoxification, is needed. Nutritional support for reducing the toxic load starts with foundational products such as Detox 365 and AL-Neutralizer along with a basic wellness plan that meets an individual’s specific needs.

Just as weight loss may overwhelm one’s ability to detoxify, so can improper detoxification techniques that encourage the release of stored toxins without a plan for their elimination through the liver, kidney, biliary and gastrointestinal tract. In the same manner, products or therapies designed without consideration for the importance of balance in the phase I and II enzyme systems are also likely to induce an inflammatory imbalance, leading to symptoms in people attempting detoxification. In recent newsletter articles and webinars, we have discussed detoxification of endogenous and exogenous substances through 2 complex phases of enzymes, which basically biotransform fat-soluble (lipophilic) toxins into water-soluble (hydrophilic) products for excretion through bile and urine. How well these critical enzymes function is dependent on factors such as diet, genetics (i.e. polymorphisms), age, lifestyle, existing state of health, degree of exposure and the necessary nutrient levels that support the enzymes. And, while poor detoxification may promote inflammation and losses in energy production resulting in health challenges, it is inflammation and energy loss that will further impair detoxification, thus creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

For this reason, Detox 365 was carefully formulated with many well-substantiated ingredients to deliver a gentle, yet effective, convenient and delicious method for daily support of detoxification in the midst of our busy lives.

Another product, Gallbladder Support, contains nutrients that support both liver and gallbladder function combined. This is especially important for those with difficulty maintaining healthy blood glucose and lipid levels, inflammation imbalances, thyroid imbalances, those who are overweight or are over 40 (especially females), and those experiencing food sensitivities and other digestive concerns. Creating a clear shuttle system for moving toxins out of the liver and into the gut through the biliary tree and gallbladder is important for proper detoxification, among other things. Less than optimal gallbladder function is very common and can be the limiting factor for efficient detoxification, which becomes more challenging with age and toxin bioaccumulation.

Conclusion

In summer, the body can be exposed to a greater concentration of toxins from pesticides to aldehydes. Although detoxifying the body all year long is important, the spring and summer can be an excellent time to embark upon a detox program that can continue all year long to help the liver as it ceaselessly works to keep its trillions of cells and innumerable pathways toxin-free and functional. Efficient detoxification with AL-Neutralizer, Detox 365 and Gallbladder Support is a major key factor in overall health.

References

1. Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now. 2008-2009 annual report released April 2010. http://deainfo.nci.nih.gov/advisory/pcp/annualReports/pcp08-09rpt/PCP_Report_08-09_508.pdf Retrieved online 4-1-11.

2. Niyati-Shirkhodaee F, Shibamoto T. Formation of toxic aldehydes in cod liver oil after ultraviolet irradiation. JAOCS (Journal of American Oil Chemists’ Society) 1992;69(12):1254-1256x.

3. Vasdev S, Ford CA, Longerich L, et al. Role of aldehydes in fructose induced hypertension. Mol Cell Biochem. 1998 Apr;181(1-2):1-9.

4. Uchida K. Current status of acrolein as a lipid peroxidation product. Trends Cardiovasc Med, 1999 Jul;9(5):109-13.

5. Sheilds PG, Xu GX, Blot WJ, et al. Mutagens from heated Chinese and U.S. cooking oils. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1995 Jun 7;87(11):836-41.

6. Vasdev S, Gill V, Singal P. Role of advanced glycation end products in hypertension and atherosclerosis: therapeutic implications. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2007;49(1):48-63.

7. Hatzitolios A, Iliadis F, Katsiki N, Baltatzi M. Is the anti-hypertensive effect of dietary supplements via aldehydes reduction evidence based? A systematic review. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2008 Oct;30(7):628-39.

8. Vasdez S, Ford CA, Parai S, et al. Dietary vitamin B6 supplementation attenuates hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Mol Cell Biochem. 1999 Oct;200(1-2):155-62.

9. Vasdez S, Ford CA, Parai S, et al. Dietary vitamin C supplementation lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Mol Cell Biochem. 2001;218(1-2):97-103.