Detoxification happens in three distinct phases inside your body, and giving each one the right nutritional support can make all the difference. Here's how the process works, and five key nutrients to fuel it.
Key Takeaways
- Toxins can cause harm to the body in a variety of ways.
- Routinely removing them through detoxification is beneficial for overall health.
- Detoxification occurs in three phases that convert fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble compounds and then eliminates them from the body.
- Supporting all three phases with proper nutrition helps make the process more effective.
A successful metabolic detoxification is accomplished in three distinct phases. Before we explain those phases, let’s discuss why we recommend making detoxes a seasonal or biannual routine.
What Are Toxins?
The word toxin describes something that can cause harm to the body.
Some toxins are exogenous, meaning they come from outside the body. Exogenous toxins include heavy metals, organic pesticides, drugs, and other industrial materials.
Other toxins are endogenous, meaning they’re made by the body as part of normal daily function, such as breaking down products of our very own hormones.
What Do Toxins Do to Our Bodies?
Both exogenous and endogenous toxins are associated with many severe diseases, from cancers to neurodegenerative diseases to reproductive issues.
While it can be difficult to assign evidence-based cause and effect, it is not a stretch to suspect that these toxins may also be responsible for an overall lessened quality of life in the form of chronic fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, fibromyalgia, headaches, and the list goes on.
Another issue to consider is overall toxic load. Many toxins of different chemical natures exert their effects via the same pathways, leading to additive toxic effects. What’s more, many toxins—both exogenous and endogenous—are fat soluble.
Why does this matter? Because anything that is soluble in fat will likely be stored in fat, and can remain in fatty tissue for years. That fatty tissue can end up having much higher concentrations of toxins than found at any one time in the environment.
This is why regularly flushing these toxins from our bodies is such a good idea.
Can Toxins Be Avoided?
Exogenous toxins are pervasive. Despite clean eating, purified drinking water, and advanced air filtration systems, they invariably make it into our systems.
And even if we could fully avoid exogenous toxins, our body would still make endogenous toxic breakdown substances.
In short, we can’t completely prevent toxic buildup in our bodies. The good news is we can do something about that buildup.
What Happens During a Detox?
The main trick of metabolic detoxification is changing fat-soluble toxins into water-soluble molecules, which can then enter urine or bile to be fully excreted by the body.
This process takes place over three phases, each of which is vital to an effective detox regimen.
The 3 Phases of a Detox
Detox Phase I
Phase I is called bioactivation. It’s the first step in changing a fat-soluble toxin into something the body can grab onto and excrete. During this phase, enzymes contained intracellularly in a cell’s cytoplasm add a water-soluble receptor site to the lipid toxin.
It’s a good start, but phase I is not enough on its own. In fact, it often creates reactive oxygen species—also known as free radicals—which can sometimes be more toxic or reactive than the parent toxin. This sounds bad, but it’s an essential and necessary step of detoxification.
Turning those lemons into lemonade happens by ensuring phase I is quickly followed by phase II.
Phase I Nutrient Support Examples: B vitamins, Carotenoids, Catechins, Silymarin, Minerals, Superoxide Dismutase, etc.
Detox Phase II
Phase II is called conjugation. This is where the now reactive lipid-soluble toxins become neutral, fully water-soluble, non-toxic molecules, which can now be eliminated by the body.
Conjugation is accomplished by a variety of enzymes and an abundance of cofactors. Enzyme cofactors are often everyday vitamins and minerals, so multiple nutrients and phytonutrients may lend support.
This phase also requires a large amount of cellular energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and therefore requires healthy and fully functioning mitochondria, which is also supported by nutrients and phytonutrients.
Phase II Nutrient Support Examples: Amino Acids (Glutamine, Taurine, Arginine), B Vitamins, Methionine, Betaine, Ellagic acid, Glutathione, etc.
Detox Phase III
Phase III is called elimination. It starts with the transportation of each now water-soluble non-toxic molecule from inside the cell to outside the cell, where it can enter the circulatory system to be eliminated by the kidneys or exported to the bile for final excretion into feces. Finally!
Phase III Nutrient Support Examples: Fibers, Probiotics, Alkalizers.
The Role of Nutrients in a Detox
An important point that’s often overlooked is that detoxification requires nutritional support. The process takes cellular energy, and that energy comes from nutrition.
Water fasts are popular, and while they can offer some beneficial effects on apoptosis, or programmed cellular death, they are not effective for true intra and extracellular detoxification.
With all this mind, below are five key nutrients vital for an effective detox. This list is by no means exhaustive, but these are heavy hitters when it comes to fueling each phase of a detox.
5 Key Nutrients for a Detox
1. Fiber
Fiber is necessary for Phase III of detoxification, the elimination phase. It also promotes overall intestinal health, and aids to eliminate phase II conjugated toxins. There is even some evidence of fiber directly binding toxins, thereby preventing absorption.
My favorites are oat hull, apple, and—if you can tolerate it—psyllium husk fiber.
2. Protein
Proteins are long chains of individual amino acids. There are several key amino acids that aid in Phase II toxin conjugation. For example: methionine and cysteine help to generate sulfation and glutathione cofactors required for conjugation of Phase I toxins.
There are also certain amino acids that are precursors to certain neurotransmitters depleted by heavy metals such as mercury.
Our detoxification protocol includes pea protein isolate, rice protein concentrate, as well as the following amino acids: L-alanine, L-lysine, L-glutamine, DL-Methionine, N-Acetyl-Cysteine, Taurine, L-Tyrosine, and L-Arginine.
3. Super Oxide Dismutase (SOD)
Cantaloupe melon is rich in multiple forms of SOD, an antioxidant enzyme present in most cells exposed to oxygen. It neutralizes highly reactive free radicals generated in phase I.
Our detoxification system contains dried melon (Cucumis melo L.) and is standardized based on SOD concentration.
4. Glucosinolates
Two of the most potent glucosinolates are found in broccoli and watercress. These sulfur-containing glycosides boost the amount of Phase II enzymes, speeding up the process of turning reactive phase I toxin products into neutralized, water-soluble phase II products that are then ready to be eliminated.
Our detoxification system contains Broccoli (Brassica oleracea L. var italica) and watercress (Nasturtium officinale.)
5. Ellagic Acid
This antioxidant is found in plant foods such as pomegranate. It’s a super food acid that may even be effective at chelating toxic metal and promoting its excretion.
Ellagic acid is a star in that it may enhance all three phases of detoxification, even direct binding to toxins such as those commonly found in air pollution and then promoting their excretion.
Our recommended system contains whole fruit pomegranate (Prunica granatum L.).
How to Start Your Detox Journey
As complicated as this all seems, we can help. At Designer Drugs Labs, we have one simple system to support all three phases of detoxification: the Clear Change Kit by Metagenics. Backed by science, Metagenics is a leader in the field of metabolic detoxification. We have both 10- and 28-day programs available.
Use this Contact Form to set up a consultation with one of our clinical pharmacists. We’d be happy to discuss your unique situation and how detoxification could help you to be the best version of yourself.
